Closer To You Year 2
by protejerinnocencia
Summary: AU Harry and Irlynn have learned the truth about their mother, or have they? Their second year at Hogwarts will be riddled with dangers beyond their imagining. Friends and foes aren't as simple as they used to be. And what has Dumbledore set so on edge?
1. Letters in the Mailbox

**Letters in the Mailbox**

Harry sat at the kitchen table, just staring at the clock on the wall. The mail was overdue by an hour and it was driving him crazy. He'd been back at the Dursleys' for almost two weeks already and he hadn't received any news from his friends or Irlynn. To be honest he was more interested in her letters. They had exchanged addresses and agreed to write as often as they could. She had assured him at King's Cross Station before they parted ways that he could spend time with her and her parents that summer.

"Boy, what are you doing?" Vernon spat, noticing Harry's far off gaze as he walked into the room. He made a beeline to the refrigerator.

"Huh?" Harry mumbled.

"I said, what are you doing, boy. Listen when I talk to you," the portly man grumbled.

"Waiting for the mail," Harry answered. Vernon looked at him strangely.

"Mail doesn't come on Sundays," he muttered, taking the tub of ice cream and a spoon and heading into the sitting room to take up residence in his armchair.

Harry blinked several time at his Uncle's comment. Was it really Sunday? Had he lost track of time that much? Letting out a sigh, Harry stood up and climbed the stairs. His Aunt and Uncle had decided to give him Dudley's second room. He couldn't complain. It was better than the cupboard under the stairs. He reached the room and collapsed on the bed. His eyes flitted over the empty owl cage that sat next to his desk. He'd sent Hedwig with a letter for Irlynn two days ago.

"Where did you go?" he mumbled. As if on cue, the snowy bird appeared, soaring straight for the closed window. Harry bolted from the bed to open the window and allow the owl entrance. When she landed he couldn't stop smiling. She was carrying a letter attached to her leg.

"Welcome back," he said, stroking the bird's feathers, trying to untie the letter at the same time. Hedwig gave a squawk as he tugged on the string.

"Sorry Hedwig but she tied it on tight," he apologized, getting the note free. He was about to sit down at the desk and open the letter when Hedwig let out a loud hoot. Harry looked at her and to the desk drawer. He pulled it open and fished out a handful of owl pellets.

"There you go," he said. Satisfied that Hedwig was content, the eleven-year-old sat down and tore open the letter. He let the envelope fall to the floor as he unfolded the parchment and began to read.

_Dear Harry,_

_I am sorry this letter took so long to get to you. Mum and Dad insisted we let Hedwig rest a day or two as it was a bit of a long flight. I hope your summer has started well. I guess it has since I haven't seen anything bad happen. If it does, please write to me straight away as sometimes I can't always tell._

_I miss Hogwarts already. I had things to do and classes really were fun…well maybe not Potions or History of Magic. I am excited to see my friends though. I haven't seen them since August of last year. What are you doing for summer holidays?_

_I talked to my Mum and Dad…about everything. They can't believe about You-Know-Who. They said it was just awful about our Mum. They weren't mad about me looking for her. Mum said she was a little worried but that she knows I still love her. They want you to come visit sometime this summer. Even before I asked if you could, they told me you had to._

_I feel like I'm rambling so just write me back when you can and I hope to see you soon_

_Your sister (doesn't it sound funny saying that?)_

_Irlynn_

Harry beamed as he put the letter down. It was a short letter but it was mail nonetheless. It was still strange to think she could see into his thoughts but maybe that was a good thing? Maybe it would make his aunt and uncle treat him better. He would have to talk to them about staying with Irlynn. He hadn't said a word about Irlynn to them; at least not that she was his sister.

He spent the remainder of the afternoon in his room, rereading the letter and writing his response. He barely heard Aunt Petunia's bellow to help make dinner. He pulled himself away from the letter he was writing to respond to her call.

"Get going," she said, pointing to the butter in the pan on the stove. He turned the burner on and began to push it around to melt it. He moved carefully under the watchful eye of his aunt as he continued to prepare dinner. He never appreciated the house elves at Hogwarts as much as he did right then. The meal was silent for a while, punctuated only by the loud slurping sounds Dudley made as he shoved his fourth helping down.

"Uncle Vernon," Harry said near the end of the meal. Vernon set his glass down and looked at his nephew, disdain dripping from his voice as he spoke.

"What?" he asked.

"I…got a letter from a friend…at school," he began.

"How many times do we have to tell you not to talk about your…abnormities," Vernon hissed.

"She wants me to spend part of the summer with her family. I was…hoping I could go," Harry finished, trying to ignore his uncle's harsh tones. Aunt Petunia looked at Harry and then at her husband. She couldn't deny that they would like to have him out of the house but it would mean they were acknowledging his…weirdness. She gave Vernon an imperceptible shake of her head.

"No, absolutely not. And I don't want to hear any more about your freaky friends," Vernon answered, slamming his fist down on the table for emphasis. Harry felt hiss stomach drop at his Uncle's response. It wasn't entirely unexpected but it was by no means still hurtful.

A short time later he was left to do the dishes while his aunt, uncle and cousin went out to see a movie. He wondered if Irlynn could see him now? Could she see how they left him home to keep from attracting stares? As he set the dish rag down he couldn't help but feel angry at his family.

"It's not fair," he shouted, kicking the cabinet beneath the sink. He instantly regretted it, his toe now throbbing in pain. With a grumble he hobbled back upstairs and into his room. He slumped into the desk chair and picked up the parchment he'd started writing on. He tossed it in the rubbish bin and started over.

_Irlynn,_

_I'm glad to hear from you. Thank you for making sure Hedwig was well rested. She thanks you too. I don't know if you saw tonight but my family left me home while they went to see a movie. They hardly take me anywhere public since they found out I was a wizard. They think I'm contagious or something._

_I miss Hogwarts too. I miss being away from my family, away from being looked at like I'm a freak. At Hogwarts I fit in, well more than I fit in here. I have friends at school and I feel like I'm where I belong. I bet you feel that way too_

_I wish Dumbledore would have let me go and live with you and your parents. It sounds nice. I wish I could come visit but my Uncle said no. I know he wishes I wasn't here but he doesn't want to admit that by letting me leave he says that magic exists._

_I haven't told them you're my sister. I don't know if I should. I don't know what they would think. What do you think I should do?_

_Oh, have you heard from Ron or Hermione? I've written them both a few times but got nothing back. Write me back soon. If I can't leave here, at least I can still talk to you._

_Your brother (yes it still sounds very odd)_

_Harry_

Harry checked his spelling before letting the parchment dry. He stowed the quill and bottle of ink. The sun had started to sink below the tree line at the edge of the property when Harry finally rolled the letter up and opened Hedwig's cage.

"I hope you're up for another long one. It's important that she gets it," Harry said, attaching the letter. Hedwig nipped his finger affectionately with her beak and gave a hoot.

"Hurry back," he said before letting her fly out the window.

He watched her getting smaller, fading into the distance and wondered what he was going to do all summer, being locked away like a prisoner. Evening melted into night and Harry fell asleep, unaware of his family's return from their outing. None of them bothered to check on him to see if he was still there.


	2. Locked In

**Locked In**

Several more weeks passed and Harry had only heard from Irlynn. She'd been very disappointed at the news that he couldn't visit her and her parents. He was disappointed too but at least she wrote to him. He couldn't understand why Ron and Hermione hadn't sent him nay mail. Harry was sitting in his room rereading Irlynn's last letter. It had been relatively brief. July was finally upon them and she was excited for their birthday. She'd gone on for a little bit about spending time with her friends. At least she was having a good summer. Suddenly, Harry was jolted from his thoughts by the booming echo of his uncle's voice.

"Boy! Get down here this instant!" Vernon bellowed, his voice reverberating in he staircase. Harry jumped at the call. He set the letter down and trudged down the stairs. He wandered into the sitting room to find his Uncle sitting in his arm chair.

"Yes Uncle Vernon?" Harry stated, making his presence known.

"Have you done the dishes?" Vernon asked, his temper very clearly on the verge of exploding. Harry's gaze flitted to the kitchen.

"No…not yet I was…" he began but Vernon cut him off.

"You were what?" Vernon snarled.

"I was just…reading a letter from a friend," Harry muttered. Vernon began to sputter and force himself out of his chair, looming over the boy.

"Well we're going to change that right now," he spat and grabbed Harry roughly by the arm. Harry had no choice but to follow behind his uncle. With a firm shove, Vernon sent Harry stumbling into the cupboard beneath the stairs. Vernon slammed the door and se the lock. Just then Petunia came in from the back yard.

"What is going on?" she asked, seeing how purple her husband's face was. Vernon didn't answer right away. Instead he stormed into the kitchen and grabbed his car keys.

"Vernon, what are you doing?" Petunia demanded.

"He's been talking to one of _them_," Vernon ground out.

"I'm going to make sure he doesn't talk to them again," he added and walked towards the front door.

"Where are you going?" she called.

"To the store. I need to buy some things," he answered and opened the front door.

Harry sat in the cupboard, just staring at the door. He had no idea what his uncle was going to do but he got the feeling it wasn't good. He wished he had his wand with him. A simple Alohamora could get the door open. Unfortunately his wand was on his bedside table and he was not allowed to do magic outside of Hogwarts.

Several hundred miles away, Irlynn sat in the front yard on the swing. She couldn't help but think back to a year earlier when she'd gotten her Hogwarts letter. So much had happened since that day. As the sun drifted out from behind a cloud she was hit with a vision. She saw Harry's uncle dragging him towards the stairs and tossing him in the cupboard. As quickly as it came, it was gone. There weren't usually that short.

"Oh no," she mumbled to herself and rushed inside.

"Mum!" she called out. Victoria stuck her head out of the kitchen.

"In here," she answered. Irlynn walked in to find her mother making fresh lemonade.

"We need to go to Surrey,' the eleven-year-old said.

"That's a long trip. Why do we need to go there?" her mother replied.

"Because…I just saw Harry get thrown in a cupboard by his Uncle," Irlynn replied. Victoria put down the lemon in her and pointed to the seat at the table. Irlynn sat down.

"Are you sure?" her mother asked. None of them were entirely sure Irlynn's visions were normal for a witch but she wasn't going to question them.

"I'm positive. They treat him awful and they won't let him come stay," she rambled. It wasn't anything Victoria didn't already know about Harry's living situation.

"Honey, I don't know what we can do," Victoria finally said.

"Mum, he's my brother. I have to help him," Irlynn protested.

"Have you talked to your other friends? Maybe they can help," her mother suggested. Irlynn nodded and stood up.

"I'm going to write them," she said and ran up the stairs.

Back at 4 Privet Drive, Vernon had returned home and was busy installing metal bars across Harry's window. Hedwig watched him carefully from her cage, hooting every now and again. The man grunted as he finished with the last bar. He gave a satisfied smirk as he picked up the tools.

"That will be the end of this bloody nonsense," he said, looking at Hedwig. With that, he made his way back downstairs. After putting the tools away, he unlocked the door to the cupboard. Harry h ad since fallen asleep.

"Wake up," Vernon called. Harry groaned but opened his eyes.

"Go do the dishes," he spat. Harry climbed out of the cramped space and raced into the kitchen. He turned on the water and began scrubbing the plates from lunch.

Half an hour later he walked up the stairs and back to his room. He stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted the bars on the window. He immediately looked to Hedwig. He could tell she was disappointed. Harry turned and slammed his door in anger before collapsing onto his bed. He lay there for a while, just staring at the bars. How was he supposed to write to Irlynn now?

"Sorry Hedwig," Harry muttered, sitting up. She rustled her feathers and gave a soft hoot.

Harry got up and ran his hands over the bars. He had always felt like a prisoner in this house but now he literally was one. He was going to be cut off from the world even more than he already was. As he stared out through the bars, he wondered if Irlynn had seen what happened. Part of him hoped she had. Maybe she could do something to get him out of here.

Back at the McQuillen residence, Irlynn was finishing up a letter to Ron. She'd already written one to Hermione. She sat back and stared at the note, rereading it.

_Dear Ron,_

_I hope you are having a good summer. I am doing alright. I was hoping you would be able to help me with something. Harry tells me you haven't written back to him all summer. Neither has Hermione and he feels rather lonely. Please send him a letter before the summer finishes. His birthday is the end of the month. I'm sure he'd appreciate it._

_Well his Uncle and Aunt are horrible people. I know he told you that during the year but he told me more in his letters. They lock him in a cupboard for no reason and leave him there for hours. I want to get him out of there. I was hoping you would want to help. I've sent a letter to Hermione asking for her help too. If you have any ideas please let me know. Please write back to me as soon as you can._

_Your friend,_

_Irlynn_

She looked over at Artemis. The owl sat on her perch, looking intently at her owner. Irlynn knew the owl needed to rest more. She'd been making frequent trips out to Surrey back several times a week lately. The girl stood up and held out her arm. The bird took flight and in one graceful arc landed, letting her talons rest lightly on the girl's bare skin.

"You need to fly fast today. Take this Ron and this one to Hermione," she said. Irlynn tied the two letters to the owl's leg. She gave the owl a pat on the head before opening the window and letting the bird fly away. She hoped one of her friends would have an idea of how to rescue Harry. If she had the money and the means, she would get on the ferry that night and find him. She couldn't bear to think of Harry cooped up in that house much longer.

"Hold on. I'm going to get you out," she spoke to the silent air around her.

Evening soon fell and Irlynn somberly sat through dinner. She got sympathetic looks from brother her parents but it didn't bolster her mood. She kept trying to concentrate, trying to see if she could will a vision, just to make sure Harry was alright but it didn't work. In Surrey, harry was doing much the same throughout dinner and afterwards, hoping he could find some way to send Irlynn a mental message that he was still out there. He was also unsuccessful in his efforts. That night, both fell asleep with their thoughts centered on the other. Irlynn gazed out at the night sky, hoping her letters had reached their destinations. Harry tossed and turned until the early morning hours, unable to fall asleep. His mind kept churning with ways of getting in touch with Irlynn. He finally succumbed to exhaustion just as the sun was starting its initial ascent into the sky.


	3. Covert Operations

**Covert Operations**

The following morning came quickly at the Weasley household. When Ron woke up, Artemis was perched on his window, staring at him expectantly. Ron rubbed the sleep form his eyes as he opened the window to let the bird in. He detached the letter from her leg and tore open the envelope. His eyes scanned the letter and his brow knit together. What did she mean he hadn't written to Harry all summer? He'd written a lot of letters to Harry. It was the other boy who hadn't written back. The redhead shook his head and continued reading. The second paragraph jumped out at him and he nearly fell over his own feet in an effort to find his parents. He was intercepted by Fred and George before he got far.

"What are you yelling about?" Fred asked.

"Yeah…we were sleeping," George added.

"It's Harry. His aunt and uncle are treating like rubbish. We've got to do something. We've got to get him out of there," Ron answered.

"Bloody hell," Fred said. The three Weasley boys headed downstairs to find the kitchen empty.

"Well…I don't think Mum would approve of us going on a rescue mission," George began.

"But what she doesn't know won't hurt her," Fred finished, the twins sharing a devious look.

"I have to write back to Irlynn and tell her we're going to get him out of there," Ron mumbled. The twins left him to his task while they went and plotted how exactly they were going to get Harry out. Ron found a piece of parchment and some ink.

_Dear Irlynn,_

_I don't know what's going on. I send Harry letters all the time but he doesn't write me back. But that's not important. My brothers and I are going to get him out of that place. Here is my address if you would like to come for a visit when he gets here. We can pick you up on the way._

_Ron Weasley_

It was short but it didn't have to be long. While the ink dried, he went in search of Fred and George. He found them in their room.

"Come up with anything?" the youngest of the three asked.

"Dad's car. He's rigged it to fly you know," Fred said.

"It can become invisible too. It's perfect. And he won't mind if we borrow it," George added.

"Great…so um…we need to it tonight," Ron said.

"Brilliant," the twins said in unison. With that, Ron headed back to the kitchen to retrieve the letter.

"Here you go," he said, tying it to Artemis' leg and letting her fly off. As the bird flew out of sight, Ron hoped their plan would work.

Far away from the Burrow, Harry was heading back upstairs after having done the breakfast dishes. He hadn't slept very well the night before and he desperately wanted to take a nap. Uncle Vernon was taking Aunt Petunia to a lunch party for work and Dudley was out with his friends. Maybe they wouldn't notice if Harry lay down for a while. However, when he walked into his room he was confronted with a very strange looking creature jumping on his bed.

"Who are you?" Harry stammered. The creature stopped its jumping and turned to look at Harry.

"I am Dobby, the house elf," he introduced, taking a deep bow and nearly falling off the bed. He wore a dirty smock and harry could see fresh scars on his ears.

"What…how did you get in my room?" Harry demanded, searching for his wand.

"Dobby doesn't want to hurt Harry Potter," the elf proclaimed.

"Dobby must warn Harry Potter not to go return Hogwarts this year. It is too dangerous," the elf added.

"Dangerous? What are you talking about?" Harry rambled. It was then that he noticed the peculiar bulge beneath the frock. As Dobby moved anxiously the bulge slid closer to his knees until they came tumbling down. It was a thick bundle of letters. He recognized Hermione's handwriting on the topmost letter.

"Letters? You kept my letters?" Harry shouted.

"Dobby thought if Harry Potter didn't receive mail from his friends…he wouldn't want to go back to school," Dobby admitted. Harry bent down and scooped up the package before Dobby could get his hands on them again.

"I'm going back to school," Harry said as definitively as he could. He hoped his Uncle would let him go back to school.

"Now…please…can you leave before my Uncle hears and gets mad?" Harry asked. Dobby looked up at Harry with his large eyes and with a sigh he snapped his fingers and was gone. Harry sat down on his bed and greedily tore into the packet of letters from his friends. He wondered for a moment why Dobby hadn't intercepted Irlynn's letters but shrugged it off as he read the topmost letter from Hermione.

In Ireland, while Harry soaked up the delayed news from his friends, Irlynn was in her room, frantically trying to pack a bag for going to the Burrow. Her parents couldn't say no to this. They just couldn't. Irlynn was so focused on her the task at hand that she didn't hear her father come in.

"Irlynn, honey what are you doing?" William asked.

"Ron said he and his brothers are rescuing Harry tonight. He said I could visit when Harry gets there. I want to be ready. Ron said something about picking me up tonight before they get him," Irlynn answered as she zipped her bag up.

"Honey, I think you should have talked to us about this before you did anything," he said, making her sit down on the bed.

"I know but…I'm just worried," she murmured.

"I know you are. You can go. Just make sure you come home before the summer is out. You've got to shopping for school," he said.

"Thanks Daddy," she said, throwing her arms around him.

Evening passed by dreadfully slow for Irlynn. She wasn't sure what Ron and his brothers would be arriving in so every time a car drove by, she got excited. It wasn't until her mother let out a yelp that Irlynn knew the Weasleys' had arrived. Irlynn ran into the kitchen to see a blue Ford Anglia hovering a few feet off the ground.

"That's them, Mum. I'll send Artemis in a day or two when come home. Harry can come with me right?" Irlynn said.

"Ok dear. Be safe," Victoria answered, still very dazed. Irlynn picked up the owl cage and her overnight bag and headed out to the backyard.

"Hi," she said she climbed in.

"I hope the boot can hold all of Harry's things too," Fred muttered. The flight over to 4 Privet Drive was eventful to say the least. George had a little too much fun behind the wheel. He sent the car spinning several times.

"Would you quit it," Ron shouted as they neared the house.

"That's it," Irlynn said, pointing at the number 4 on the mailbox.

"Go around back," Fred said. Even though were invisible, it would look rather strange to climb into nothing in the front of the house. They made it around the house and up to Harry's room. George honked the horn to get Harry's attention.

Inside the room, Harry heard the noise and looked up. As if on cue, Fred managed to turn the invisibility charm off of the car.

"Hi Harry," Ron called, giving a wave.

"Ron…Fred…George," Harry said excited. Then he caught sight of Irlynn.

"You didn't think I'd them do this alone did you?" she called. Harry just laughed as Ron reached out of the car and attached a hook to one of the bars.

"Go," Fred said and George pressed down on the gas pedal. The bars began to bend until they came flying out of the sill and onto Aunt Petunia's flower bed below. The sound must have been enough to wake the Dursleys' up because as soon as the car back to the window, the door to Harry's room began to shake violently.

"What is going on in there boy!" Vernon boomed.

"Come on…get your trunk," Ron urged. Harry pulled on his shoes and grabbed his trunk in the same motion, heaving it out the window. Ron and Irlynn managed to catch it and pull it into the car.

"Don't forget Hedwig," Irlynn called. Harry handed the owl cage through and after making sure he had his wand, began to climb through the window. Just as Harry was almost out, Vernon burst through.

"Oh no you don't!" he howled, reaching for Harry's foot. He missed it by an inch as the Ford Anglia flew off into the rising sun. Harry couldn't help but smile at the other inhabitants of the car.

"Thanks," he said, finally catching his breath.

"Any time mate,' Ron said, slapping him on the shoulder.

"Take us home Georgie old boy," Fred said. George let out a snort at his brother's comment but hit the button for the invisibility charm and pressed down on the gas pedal, propelling them towards the Burrow.


	4. Birthdays

**Birthdays**

By the time the Ford Anglia landed in the backyard of the Burrow, the sun was in the sky. The five children climbed from the vehicle, lugging trunks and owl cages into the kitchen. Harry and Irlynn looked around in awe as dishes washed themselves.

"Look," she whispered in his ear, pointing to a large clock. Ron, Fred and George's hands returned to the potion that read 'home'.

"Looks like we made without Mum finding out," Ron breathed. Unfortunately, he spoke too soon. Molly suddenly loomed in the doorway.

"Where have you three been?" Molly shrieked.

"Uh…" Ron began but Molly cut him off when she spotted Harry and Irlynn.

"Oh hello dears," she said, pulling them into a tight hug.

"Hi Mrs. Weasley," Harry said.

"I wake up to find empty beds, no note…just you three gone!" she continued her rant.

"We were rescuing Harry," Ron finally managed to get out.

"What…you flew to Surrey and back…on brooms?" she pressed.

"Actually we stopped in Ireland first," George muttered.

"We…took Dad's car," Fred mumbled.

"You what?" she yelled, drawing the other Weasley children and Arthur.

"Molly, dear what is going on?" Arthur asked.

"Your sons…took that flying car of yours, flew all around creation," Mrs. Weasley answered. Arthur's eyes lit up.

"How did it work?" he asked excitedly.

"Arthur," Molly growled, swatting his shoulder. He cleared his throat.

"Don't do it again boys," he said.

"Yes Dad," the three boys answered before sitting at the large kitchen table. Molly set about making breakfast, grumbling to herself all the while. Arthur leaned in close to Fred and George.

"So how did it work boys?" he whispered.

"Great, Dad. Invisibility charm works well," Fred replied.

"Flies nice too," George added.

"Who wants bacon?" Molly interrupted. Hands went up around the table and sent the pan around. They ate in relative silence and by the end of the meal, Molly had calmed down.

"Now…you two will be staying awhile?" Molly asked of Harry and Irlynn.

"Actually…I told my parents I would be home in a day or two and Harry was going to spend some time with us," Irlynn answered.

"Well…alright then. But for a few days you can stay here. Ginny, take her things up to your room, dear. Harry, you can stay in Ron's room," Molly said. With that the four of them headed upstairs.

"So you're going to stay with her?" Ron asked. He hadn't told Ron or Hermione that Irlynn was his sister. He got the impression from Dumbledore that it should be kept a secret.

"Yeah…she asked me before school let out and I told her I'd try. Well since I'm not at my Uncle's anymore, I can," Harry muttered.

"Oh," Ron said, setting Harry's trunk down at the foot of his bed. Down the hall, Ginny set Irlynn's trunk down.

"so what house are you in?" Ginny asked.

"I'm in Ravenclaw," she answered. Ginny nodded and sat down on her bed.

"I'm starting this year. I hope I'm in Gryffindor…my whole family has been in it," Ginny said.

"I bet you will be. I was happy I didn't get Slytherin," Irlynn laughed.

The next few days passed by comfortably for everyone at the Burrow. Irlynn and Harry felt like part of the family and were currently sitting in the backyard.

"I was going to send Artemis home today…saying we'd be there tomorrow. Is that ok?" Irlynn asked.

"Sure," Harry muttered, sounding distracted.

"Are you ok?" she pressed.

"I…I think we should tell Ron and Hermione," he blurted.

"Are you sure about that? I mean…Dumbledore seemed to imply we shouldn't tell anyone," Irlynn said, as if reading his thoughts.

"I know but they're our friends…and they should know," Harry replied. Irlynn thought it over for a minute.

"I guess you're right," she answered and the pair stood up.

"Besides, I think Ron thinks I like you," Harry snorted. Irlynn made a gagging sound as they headed inside. They found Ron sitting at the kitchen table, sifting through the mail.

"Hey Ron," Harry said. The redhead looked up.

"Oh, hi," he said.

"Can we talk?" Irlynn asked and Ron nodded his head.

"We wanted to tell you something," she began.

"We don't want you to feel bad that I'm spending some of the summer with Irlynn because well…we found out at the end of term…that…we're related," Harry continued.

"Related?" Ron asked.

"Yeah…turns out we're twins," Irlynn answered.

"Bloody hell," Ron gasped.

"But you can't go telling everyone ok? Not even Hermione knows," Irlynn said.

"Right, mate. Sorry I got all bent out of shape," Ron apologized.

"Don't worry about it. We should have said something right off," harry said, brushing the apology away.

"So…when are you leaving? I mean isn't your birthday soon?" Ron asked.

"I think we're going to try and leave tomorrow," Irlynn answered.

"I just don't know how we're going to get home," she sighed.

"Mum!" Ron bellowed. Loud footsteps came thundering down the stairs and Molly appeared.

"What is it?" she gasped.

"Harry and Irlynn are leaving tomorrow but they don't know how to get back to her house," Ron said.

"Oh don't worry about that, dears. I'll take care if it," Molly assured them.

"Thanks Mrs. Weasley," Harry said.

The following morning dawned early in the Weasley household. Molly had breakfast on the table by seven and had dragged Ron, Harry and Irlynn out of bed by seven fifteen.

"Come on, eat up," she said. They all looked bleary eyed and still half asleep.

"Why is it so early?" Ron groaned, almost missing his mouth with a spoon of oatmeal.

"I wanted to make sure we get Harry and Irlynn off on time," Molly said, sounding far too awake for it to be so early.

Neither Harry nor Irlynn made comment about the early hour. They merely ate their breakfast and went upstairs to pack and get dressed. As they were walking down the stairs, Harry let out a yawn.

"We can go back to bed when we get home," Irlynn whispered in his ear.

"Alright, let's see what we can do with your trunks," Molly muttered, pulling out her wands. She muttered a spell and both trunks shrunk to pocket size. When she caught sight of the looks on their faces she gave a small laugh.

"No need to worry. Everything will expand again when we get there," she said. Harry picked up his pocket sized trunk and slipped it in his pocket. Thankfully they had sent Hedwig on with Artemis the day before. Molly shrunk the empty owl cages before donning her travelling cloak.

"Now you need to hold close and don't let go," Molly instructed.

"Mum…you're not taking them through the Floo Network?" Ron asked.

"Side Apparition will be faster," Molly answered. With that, Harry and Irlynn took hold of Mrs. Weasley and in the blink of an eye had disappeared. When they reappeared, they were standing in the front foyer of the McQuillen house. Irlynn looked around to discover her parents weren't awake yet.

"Thank you again for your hospitality, Mrs. Weasley," Irlynn said quietly.

"It was a pleasure. You're both welcome any time," Molly said before disapparating from the spot.

"Come on, I'll show you around," Irlynn said, leading Harry up the stairs and into the guest room.

"This is the guest room…you're room," she said. Harry pulled out the owl cage and trunk and watched in awe as they indeed did return to their original size.

"Should we let your Mum and Dad know we're here?" Harry asked as they moved through the hall. She didn't have to answer because the door to her parents' bedroom opened to reveal a tired looking Victoria.

"Hi, Mum," Irlynn greeted.

"Oh honey…you're home. When did you get in?" Victoria asked, pulling her daughter into a hug.

"A few minutes ago," Irlynn answered.

"This is Harry," she added, pointing to Harry.

"Hi dear. It's good to have you here," Irlynn's mother said.

"Thank you," Harry said politely.

"Why don't you two go back to bed? It's early," she suggested. Irlynn and Harry both nodded and headed back down the hall.

"See you in a while," Irlynn called as she shut her door.

When Harry and Irlynn got up for the second time that day, they heard low voices downstairs. Neither of them seemed to remember what the day was until they walked into the kitchen see balloons and two stacks of presents on the table.

"What's going on?" Harry asked.

"Happy Birthday," William said. Harry and Irlynn shared a look before turning back sheepishly to the two adults.

"We forgot," they admitted in unison.

"We didn't," Victoria said, giving each a firm hug.

"You probably ate already so we'll do a late lunch in a while. But right now, why don't you two open some gifts," she suggested. Harry surveyed the stack of presents.

"Are these…for me?" he asked.

"Of course they are," Victoria answered. Harry just beamed as he tore into the paper. He rarely got presents son his birthday and when he did they were usually hand-me-downs from Dudley that were three sizes too big.

"We guessed on the sizes. If they don't fit we can go shopping and return them," Victoria added.

"They're perfect," Harry replied, holding up the shirts.

At the bottom of each pile sat a letter with familiar writing in emerald ink on the front. They flipped them open to see the Hogwarts seal.

"You're letters came. We thought you'd like to go get your books and things this week," William explained.

"Thanks Dad," Irlynn said, jumping up from her seat to give him a quick kiss.

"You're welcome sweetheart," he said.

Harry just sat there and smiled like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. He wasn't sure how he had forgotten today was his birthday but it didn't matter. He'd gotten gifts from people who seemed to genuinely care about him.


	5. Fame and Glory

**Fame and Glory**

The first week of August arrived and Irlynn and Harry were itching to make the trip to Diagon Alley. Harry had settled into the routine of the McQuillen household and couldn't be more content. It almost felt like he was back at school. He was currently sitting on the bench in the front yard. He hadn't been able to sleep and the sun was just beginning to rise. He didn't hear the front door open or the footsteps on the grass until the bench squeaked. He looked over to see William sitting next to him.

"Morning," Harry greeted.

"That it is. You're up early," Will remarked.

"I couldn't sleep," Harry mumbled.

"It's pretty isn't it," Will commented. Harry just nodded. The pair sat in silence for a few more minutes.

"We're going to get your school things today," he added.

"Cool," the twelve-year-old said with a smile.

"Why don't you come on inside," William suggested. Harry stood and they went back inside.

Several hours later, Irlynn and Victoria joined them in the kitchen for lunch. Harry had informed Irlynn of their trip to Diagon Alley.

"I'm excited. I mean…last year shopping was fun," Irlynn said as she set her breakfast dishes in the sink.

"I remember I was in Ollivander's shop and I nearly blew the place up trying to find the right wand," Harry laughed.

"Why don't you two go get your lists and we'll meet you out in the car. We need to get going if we're going to catch the ferry," Victoria told them. Both Harry and Irlynn sprinted up the stairs. Harry picked up the list that sat on the chair by the desk and looked at his wand. Should he bring it with him? It couldn't hurt.

A short time later all four had climbed into Will's car and were on the way to the ferry. Harry watched the scenery pass by. They hadn't gone out much while he had been with them but he found the Irish landscape, like the sunrise, very beautiful.

"Have you been on a ferry before?" Victoria asked, snapping him back to reality.

"Huh? Oh…no," Harry answered.

"It's boring," Irlynn whispered in his ear. Harry laughed a little as they pulled into the car park.

"We're not bringing the car with us, Dad?" Irlynn asked.

"Not today," William replied as he put money in the meter. As they walked towards the large boat, Harry looked around at all the people boarding. He was fairly certain most of the crowd were just going into London.

"I hope we see Ron and Hermione," Harry said offhandedly as they boarded.

"It's so strange. They both said they wrote to you…a lot and that you didn't write back," Irlynn said as they found a seat a few feet away from her parents.

"There was this…elf that had been stealing my mail," Harry explained in a hushed tone.

"An elf?" Irlynn snickered.

"He said he was a house elf…looked like one too but I don't know where he came from," Harry continued.

"He said I shouldn't go back to Hogwarts because it was too dangerous," he added.

"I can't imagine it would be any more dangerous than a Professor with an evil wizard on his head," Irlynn muttered.

"I'm not looking forward to Potions this year. Fred and George said that second year is a lot harder and Snape hates you more because you are supposed to know more," Harry sighed.

"We survived his class last year. I bet we can do it again," Irlynn assured him as the boat picked up speed, sending white foam splashing up behind them. A little while later Harry leaned over the edge of the boat, just staring at the water.

"You're right…this is kind of boring…but it's kind of nice too," Harry said.

"Oh we're nearly there," Irlynn exclaimed. Harry looked forward to see the bank looming closer. He was reminded of the boats that took them across the lake last September.

"Harry, Irlynn come on," William called, waving his hand in their direction. The pair hurried to catch up with Irlynn's parents so they could disembark.

"Do you need to get money, Harry?" Victoria asked as they climbed off the ferry.

"I think I have enough. I took out a lot last year," Harry answered. With that they headed for the Leaky Cauldron and passed through into Diagon Alley. Harry smiled as they walked onto the cobblestone streets. He looked around and immediately spotted the Weasleys. They were rather hard to miss with their red hair.

"Ron!" Harry called. Ron looked over and waved to them. Ginny looked over and spotted harry. She blushed and turned her back shyly.

"Can we go to the bookstore first?" Irlynn asked. They didn't have many other new supplies to buy for the term; just some quills, parchment and ink. They could easily get that at Flourish and Blotts too.

"Alright. Can we get everything there?" Will asked.

"Everything except new robes," Harry answered, glancing at his list.

"Let's get going then. I have a feeling the bookstore is going to b e mobbed," Victoria murmured. The foursome headed in the direction of the mass majority of the other people on the street. They caught up to the Weasleys and Harry and Irlynn fell into stride with Ron and Ginny.

"How was your birthday?" Ron asked.

"Brilliant. I actually got presents and Irlynn parents are wicked cool," Harry rambled.

"I'll be sure to tell them that," Irlynn teased as they reached the bookstore.

"Come on everyone. In you go," Molly ordered, ushering her multitude of children through the doorway. As expected, the bookstore was crowded with students and parents. Harry and Irlynn squeezed their way through clusters of people to gather the necessary books for second years. They noticed a rather large crowd near the back of the store and wound their way through it. When they reached the front they were confronted with a very energetic, slightly obnoxious man. Harry looked down at the books on the table that he was signing. They were all texts for his Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

"Well if it isn't Harry Potter," the man exclaimed jovially. He stood and grabbed Harry by the arm and pulled him behind the table.

"Um…Sir who are you?" Harry whispered.

"Gilderoy Lockhart," he answered, smiling broadly for the cameras in front of them. Harry stared awkwardly as the flashes went off all around him.

"Celebrity can be daunting, my boy. But it's a burden we must all bear," Lockhart rambled, sitting back down to sign more books. Irlynn stood off to the side, looking slightly dazed and confused herself.

"Here, a signed set for you, my boy," Lockhart said, shoving a pile of books into Harry's hands.

"Thanks but…I've already…" Harry began but just let it go. He did his best to edge away from the table and rejoin Irlynn without being grabbed by the Daily Prophet photographers again.

"Let's get out of here,' he muttered and they weaved back through the crowd. They finally found William and Victoria in the front of the store.

"Why don't we take care of those for you," William offered and took Harry's books from him.

"Thanks," he said, spotting Hermione walking into the shop. He wormed his way through people until he found her.

"Hi," he said, catching her attention.

"Harry!" she said, smiling.

"Sorry about the letters…I'll explain later," Harry said as he spotted a very unwanted face approaching Ron and Ginny.

"What does he want?" Harry groaned, his feet moving him in the direction to intervene as quickly as he could.

"Well if it isn't Potter. Enjoying your big head from all the attention?" Draco sneered.

"Bugger off Malfoy," Harry grumbled. Draco descended the remaining few stairs and gave them all a glare, purposely bumping into Ginny's cauldron, sending her books tumbling to the floor. Before Ginny could bend down to pick them up a tall man, resembling Draco in every respect except for the length of his hair approached. Arthur moved to stand in front of his children.

"Is there a problem, Lucius?" Arthur asked defensively.

"Hardly, Arthur. Nice to see you with your proper kind, although it is quite a stretch to consider yourself a pureblood," Lucius snickered, bending down to pick up Ginny's books. He dumped them back into her cauldron and with a flip of his cloak, escorted Draco out of the store.

"Filthy git,' Ron grumbled. They moved out of the shop and into the open summer air. Irlynn's parents caught up with them and they went their separate ways to finish the rest of their shopping.

"That Lockhart bloke looked a bit loony," Harry muttered as they headed for their last destination.

"He's supposed to be our teacher. I know they have to fill the post but he does seem a bit…unqualified," Irlynn agreed.

They quickly finished the shopping and headed back towards the Leaky Cauldron and back into Muggle London. The ferry ride back seemed a lot longer than the earlier trip and Harry dozed off for a while. When he awoke, they had finally reached the other shore and were about to get off.

"You fell asleep," Irlynn teased as they found her Dad's car again.

"It was a…long day," Harry said as they climbed in.


	6. Action and Reaction

**Action and Reaction**

The rest of August passed quickly at the McQuillen household and both children were ready to get back to school. Harry and Irlynn were dragging their trunks down the stairs, owl cages perched precariously atop them.

"Oh be careful," Victoria called, grabbing Hedwig's cage before it when tumbling backwards.

"Thanks Mrs. McQuillen," Harry said. They had insisted he call them either William and Victoria or Mum and Dad but he wasn't entirely comfortable with either of those options just yet. Victoria just gave him a smile as he pulled the trunk down the last few stairs.

"Everyone ready?" William called from the front door.

"We're coming," Victoria replied and hurried Harry and Irlynn out the door. They had a ferry to catch. They made it to the dock in record time, electing to save time by parking the car on the ferry. Harry and Irlynn found a seat on the upper deck.

"What do you think this year will be like/" Irlynn asked as she looked up at the early morning sky.

"I don't know. I don't think I'm going to like Defense against the Dark Arts this year…that Lockhart bloke seemed too loopy to teach…I'd take Quirrel over him any day," Harry muttered.

"I can't wait for Transfiguration and Charms. McGonagall and Flitwick always make class interesting," Irlynn commented.

"Yeah I don't mind those classes. I hope we don't have to take History of Magic again. I swear Hermione is the only one who stayed awake in that class," Harry laughed.

The rest of the ferry ride was spent enjoying the cool breeze coming off the water as they reached the opposite shore. As soon as the large boat docked, Irlynn and Harry went in search of her parents. They climbed into the back seat of the car and waited to be permitted off before winding their way through the busy streets of London towards Kings Cross Station.

"There's a spot," Victoria said, pointing to an opening in a long row of cars in the car park.

A few minutes later the foursome found themselves being jostled around in the large throng of people trying to find their trains and platforms. In the hustle and bustle, Harry didn't feel quite as awkward as he had the year before when Hagrid had just left him to fend for himself. They finally reached Platform 9 ¾ to find it relatively empty.

"Do you need us to go through with you?" Will asked, giving his daughter a quick kiss on the cheek. He gave Harry a firm hug and clap on the back.

"I think we'll be ok, Dad," Irlynn answered.

"Thank you for letting me spend the summer," Harry added as they both approached the barrier. Simultaneously, brother and sister charged the brick barrier separating Platforms 9 and 10. To their surprise their carts collided with the wall and did not go through.

"Ow," Harry groaned, the cart bouncing back to hit him in the stomach.

"What happened?" Irlynn asked. She looked around to find a clock. The barrier shouldn't be closed yet. The train hadn't left yet.

"I don't know. Try again," Harry answered. Irlynn tentatively moved towards the barrier and was met with the same result; solid brick. By now a line of irritated students had formed behind them.

"Come on! Move it!" a boy called.

"We're going to miss thee train," another added. Harry pulled his cart out of the way. Irlynn followed suit. The pair watched as each student passed through the barrier without hindrance.

"That is strange," Harry muttered, spotting William and Victoria walking away from the platform.

"Mum! Dad!" Irlynn shouted as loudly as she could. They stopped and turned around, waiting for Harry and Irlynn to rejoin them.

"What's wrong? Why aren't you through the barrier?" William asked.

"We can't get through. Everyone else can but when we try its just solid brick," Harry answered.

"That's not supposed to happen. Come on," Victoria murmured, leading them out of the station.

"Where are we going Mum?" Irlynn asked.

"Well we need to get to some place magical…why not Diagon Alley. I'm sure one of the shop owners would be willing to help us," she replied.

"You're Mum's brilliant…" Harry whispered in his sister's ear.

They made their way through the London streets to the Leaky Cauldron. They walked in, trunks and owl cages trailing behind them as they entered.

"Can I help you?" Tom, the barkeep, asked.

"Um…they can't seem to get through the barrier at the train station and I think they've already missed the train. We were hoping you could tell us another way for them to get to Hogwarts," William explained. Tom thought for a moment, absently wringing a rag between his fingers.

"You can use the Floo Network. Should get you right to Hogwarts," he finally answered. Ron had told Harry about the Floo Network the year before but he hadn't experienced it.

"And uh…how do we go about that?" William asked. Tom gave a hack of a laugh and led them through a door to a small, cramped office. He bent down in front of the fireplace and lit a flame. Next he grabbed a pouch from a peg on the wall and opened it.

"Now…just take a good handful and toss in the fire. You got to talk real clear…whatever your destination is," Tom instructed.

"Can…they go together?" Victoria asked.

"Sure. Just hold on tight," Tom answered. Irlynn and Harry each took a handful of powder and turned to fire.

"On three?" he asked and she nodded.

"One…two…three," they counted in unison.

"Hogwarts," they shouted and tossed the powder into the fire. Flames leapt up and turned a bright, blazing emerald green as they were sucked in.

"Oh Lord I hope they're alright," Victoria gasped, watching them disappear.

"I'm sure they'll get there," Tom assured them.

Far off on the grounds of Hogwarts, Dumbledore was closing his office door. Snape sat in a chair on the opposite side of the Headmaster's desk. He couldn't quite look the older wizard in the eye. He was a bit anxious about telling Dumbledore what he had learned from Lily's letter.

"Lemon drop?" Dumbledore offered, opening a container full of small yellow candies. Severus shook his head to decline. Dumbledore gave him a smile and sat down behind the desk. He rested his chin on his fingertips and waited for Severus to speak.

"I have recently gained some…important information that I felt necessary to apprise you of," Severus began. He knew he would be dancing around it until Dumbledore asked for specifics.

"Regarding…" the Headmaster asked.

"A letter—" Snape began but was cut off by a loud thundering sound coming from the fireplace. Fawkes fretted on his perch as trunks, owl cages and two very bewildered second years stumbled forth. Both Professors were on their feet immediately. Harry straightened up and looked around. He recognized the Headmaster's office and couldn't help but smile.

"We made it," he coughed, wiping some of the dust and soot off of his shirt. Irlynn smiled back at him, noticing the Professors standing over them.

"We're sorry, Headmaster. We weren't…supposed to end up here…just…the school," she began to explain. Snape gave the two students a dismissive look and turned on his heel. Before anyone could say a word, he'd disappeared.

"May I ask what you two are doing hear?" Dumbledore asked, leading them to chairs.

"Well we couldn't get through the barrier on Platform 9 ¾ for some reason so we didn't want to be late…we used the Floo Network," Harry said.

"The barrier wouldn't allow you to enter?" Dumbledore repeated and both students nodded.

"How very peculiar. Well…you have certainly made it without being early. Come…let's get you settled in your houses. You may wander the grounds within the rules of course," Dumbledore said. With that, he ushered them down the spiral staircase out of his office and to their respective dormitories.

Down in the dungeons, Severus sat in his office, glowering at a bottle of brandy. He knew he shouldn't show up to the Start of Term Feast drunk but then again one or two drinks wouldn't hurt. And it was still morning. He uncorked the bottle and poured himself a glass. Silently he pulled out Lily's letter and just looked at it, not really reading it. He just admired her gentle and sensual handwriting. He knew he would need to finish his conversation with Dumbledore but it could wait until later.

Snape leaned back in his chair as he took a drink from the glass. How strange it felt to know their secret and they not know he knew. He wasn't sure he was going to tell them he knew. He didn't need to get pulled into that mess. After all, what did he know abut parenthood? He downed the rest of his drink and stowed the letter carefully in his desk drawer. He would keep it to remind him of what he really was watching over.


	7. Back Here Again

**Back Here Again**

Morning slowly melded into afternoon. Harry had gone wandering through the Transfiguration Corridor. He was about to head back to Gryffindor Tower when a voice called his name.

"Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall called out. Harry turned around and waited while she caught up with him.

"Hi Professor," he greeted. They began to walk in the direction of the tower..

"I trust you had a good summer?" she asked, smiling down at the boy. She surveyed his appearance, noting he didn't look as pale as he had the previous start of term.

"It was alright. I spent some time at the Weasleys and then went and stayed with Irlynn and her parents the rest of August," he answered, failing to hide a grin. They reached the portrait and stopped. Neither spoke for a moment.

"Professor…I don't know if you can tell me but…why can't I go live with Irlynn. She's just as much family as the Dursleys and her parents are loads nicer to me," Harry inquired. McGonagall let out a slow breath.

"I…I certainly agree with you that your Aunt and Uncle are not the kindest individuals, however…no I cannot tell you why you have to remain with them. That is a question best asked of the Headmaster," she answered, choosing her words carefully. Harry's face fell slightly at her response. He would have to ask Dumbledore after the term started.

"Thank you Professor. I'll see you at the Feast," he mumbled, giving the password and walking through. Minerva shook her head and walked back the direction they had come.

Not far from the Gryffindor Tower, Irlynn sat in a cozy alcove, reading the first chapter of her new Charms book. She wasn't sure where Flitwick was going to start but she had time to kill. She was so engrossed in her book; she didn't hear the footsteps walking up the corridor. In fact she probably wouldn't have noticed the person at all if it hadn't been for the strange smell that reached her nose. She looked up just in time to see Professor Snape looming over her.

"Professor, you scared me," she gasped, startled by his presence. Snape looked at her for a moment, not saying a word. His mind was a little foggy from his morning drinks. Walking the grounds seemed to be sobering him up a bit.

"What are you doing out here?" he finally asked. Irlynn looked at him quizzically. She was trying to figure out what the smell was.

"I'm…reading. I've really got nothing else to do until everyone else arrives," she replied, giving up on the smell.

"Who do you think you are, Miss Granger?" he scoffed. In his mind he wanted to kick himself. Why on earth was he being so rude to her, his own daughter?

"I just wanted to be prepared for tomorrow," she mumbled.

"Sir…are you alright? You look a little…unsteady," she commented.

"I'm fine," he answered and stalked off. Irlynn watched him go in confusion. She stood up and headed off to find Harry. This encounter definitely deserved a story telling. She got to the Portrait of the Fat Lady and stopped. Bugger! She didn't know the password.

"Password?" the portrait demanded.

"I…well I don't know it. I'm just looking for Harry. Is he inside?' Irlynn stated.

"Perhaps," the portrait sighed.

"Well…do you think maybe you could just let me in this one time to find him? It's very important," Irlynn reasoned. The Fat Lady seemed to think about the girl's request for a moment before finally swinging open.

"Thank you," Irlynn called as she rushed through. She took a minute look at the Gryffindor Common Room. It was very roomy and warm. She decided she liked it. She was about to head up to the boys' dorm when Harry appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Hi," she called. He took the stairs two at a time until he reached her.

"How'd you get in?" he asked.

"I asked the portrait outside and she agreed. It's only a one time offer though," she rambled.

"How is your afternoon going?" she asked, sitting down on one of the large couches.

"I'm bored. I saw Professor McGonagall earlier but that was it. What about you?" he asked.

"I was reading in an alcove….and Snape walked up…something was wrong with him. He smelled kind of funny…and he looked about ready to fall over," she began. Harry couldn't help but snicker.

"Sounds like he was drunk," the twelve-year-old laughed.

"Maybe…he seemed off. Asked me what I was doing…and then wanted to know if I thought I was Hermione," she explained.

"Well…that doesn't seem too different," Harry commented.

"Well...when I asked if he was ok…he muttered he was fine and then just walked away," Irlynn finished.

"Did he take house points?" Harry inquired.

"No….not that are any to take yet but…he almost looked like he might have been sorry for bothering me," she muttered.

'Snape…sorry. No…that can't happen," Harry said with a shake of his head.

"You're right. It was just strange. Do you want to go see if Hagrid's here?" she asked.

"Sure," Harry said and the two headed out of the Common Room.

"Thank you for letting me in," Irlynn called to the Fat Lady as they walked away. She got no response. They made their way slowly down the hill to Hagrid's hut. As they approached a loud, prolonged howl erupted from inside and the door was pushed open to reveal Fang. He came bounding towards them, his large tail wagging happily.

"Harry? Irlynn? Blimey what are you two doing here so early?" Hagrid called, his large form filling the doorway.

"We had a little problem at the train station so Tom the barkeep at the Leaky Cauldron let us use the Floo," Irlynn replied.

"Well come on in, would you like some tea?" Hagrid offered. The pair, after both nearly being toppled over by Fang, managed to get inside and take seats at the large table.

"How were you this summer, Hagrid?" Harry asked.

"Oh…I'm alright. Me and Fang here have been out in the Forest…making sure the unicorns are recovering from last year. They seem to be in full form again," Hagrid answered.

"Brilliant," Harry said as the half-giant handed him a cup.

"What about you two?" Hagrid inquired.

"It was alright. I stayed with Ron's family for a few days and then stayed with Irlynn and her parents for a while. It was loads of fun," Harry answered.

"Yeah…it was nice to see Harry over summer Holiday," Irlynn added.

"Good, good. Didn't have to spend much time with those awful Muggles then?" Hagrid said. Harry nodded. It seemed no one liked Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. Knowing that made him feel even better.

They fell into silence, enjoying their tea until Hagrid looked out the window and jumped. He nearly sent the table toppling over.

"You alright, Hagrid?" Harry asked.

"Yes, yes fine. You two best get back up to the castle. I need to get to the train station to meet the first years," Hagrid answered. Irlynn and Harry stood up and made a quick exit of the hut. Hagrid followed them and they parted ways.

"See you at the Feast," Hagrid called as the two students began the trek up the hill.

"I'll be excited to see everyone again. Well…almost everyone," Irlynn laughed as they reached the Entrance Hall doors.

"Me too. We have to tell Hermione about us when we see her. I mean…Ron knows so its only fair," Harry agreed.

"Yes. She'll understand. At least she'll know what she was helping us with," Irlynn said. They pulled the doors open and walked inside. They saw Professor McGonagall conversing with Dumbledore at the top of the stairs. Minerva spotted them first and waved them up.

"You two may go inside now if you'd like. The other students should be arriving shortly," she said. Dumbledore just gave them both a smile as they passed him. As they walked into the Great Hall, Harry caught the end of the Professors' conversation.

"Albus, the boy wants to be with his sister. He's going to ask you why he can't stay with her. I hope your answer appeases him," she whispered.

"I will explain everything to him in time, my dear," Dumbledore assured her as they too headed into the Hall.

A short time later, the Great Hall was teaming with returning students. Ron and Hermione spotted Harry and joined him.

"Hi, Harry," Hermione greeted.

"Hey, Hermione," he said, smiling at her.

"Why didn't you sit with us on the train?" Ron asked.

"Uh…I'll explain after dinner. It's kind of complicated," Harry muttered.

"How was your birthday?" Hermione pressed.

"Good, for once," Harry answered, just as Professor McGonagall walked in, the mass of first years following nervously behind her. Ginny caught sight of Harry as she walked by and blushed a little. After reaching the front of the Hall and pulling out the Sorting Hat, she began the process. It seemed to take more time this year than it had the previous one and Harry almost dozed off until he heard Ginny's name be called. The youngest Weasley sat down on the stool and waited for the hat to place her.

"Gryffindor!" it shouted. She jumped up excitedly and went to sit by Ron.

"Congrats, Gin," he said. Dumbledore stood up and the room fell silent.

"I would like to welcome you all back for another year at Hogwarts. Before we eat, I would like to introduce our new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart," Dumbledore boomed. A smattering of applause rippled through the four house tables as Lockhart stood up and gave a small bow.

"And without further ado, let the feast begin!"


	8. Questions with No Answers

**Questions with No Answers**

The feast concluded with everything heading back to their Common Rooms with full stomachs. Harry was looking at his class timetable and was surprised to see that they had Potions with Ravenclaw this year. He smiled to himself. He and Irlynn would actually have a class together. He was about to say hello to Dean and Seamus when Hermione broke into his thoughts.

"Harry," she said, waving her hand in front of his face.

"Huh?" he muttered, looking at her.

"You said you were going to explain what happened this summer," she said. He slowly nodded his head. He caught Ron looking at him.

"I think we should go somewhere more private…like the library," he said, addressing his two friends.

"Ok," Hermione replied and they trio headed out into the corridor.

"I'll meet you there. I need to do something first," Harry said and rushed off in the opposite direction.

"Is he alright?" Hermione asked Ron as they continued on towards the library.

"Yeah…sure. He's fine," Ron answered.

Harry raced through the corridors until he reached the Ravenclaw Tower. He had no idea how he was going to get inside or find Irlynn, especially since boys weren't allowed in the girls' dorms. He'd seen Fred and George try to sneak up one time. Luckily he didn't have to worry about any of that.

"Hey," Irlynn called, spotting him standing there.

"Oh hi. I was looking for you. Ron and Hermione are in the library, waiting. I was going to tell Hermione about the summer and us," Harry rambled.

"Let's go," she agreed and they walked side by side up to the library. They finally spotted Ron and Hermione in a back corner.

"Hi," Hermione greeted Irlynn.

"Hi," she replied, sitting next to Ron. Harry sat down in the remaining seat and looked at his friends.

"Well…I guess the first thing is…when we were looking for Irlynn's Mum…Professor McGonagall told Dumbledore about it. At the end of term…they told us that…we're twins," Harry said.

"Oh that's wonderful!" Hermione exclaimed.

"But I really was adopted…we don't know why she gave me up," Irlynn added, failing to hide the hurt from her voice.

"But…doesn't that mean Harry can live with you?" Hermione asked.

"No…Dumbledore said I couldn't live there. But I did spend most of August with her family. And a few days with the Weasleys," Harry answered.

"Well at least you got to spend some time away from your Aunt and Uncle," Hermione muttered. Harry nodded, getting the feeling that she was going to ask about the letters next.

"So what happened with the letters? Ron and I wrote you a lot but you never wrote back?" Hermione asked.

"I wrote you too but my letters apparently never got there. Before Ron and Irlynn and Fred and George came and rescued me, this house elf showed up in my room," Harry began.

"He told me not to come back to school this year because it was too dangerous. And he'd been stealing all of my letters from you two. I think he stole mine to you as well," he continued.

"A house elf? You mean like the ones that work in the kitchens?" Hermione interrupted.

"Yes…but I don't think he was from school. He had all kinds of scars on his hands and ears. Do…wizards own house elves?" Harry answered.

"Yeah…some pureblood families do. The Malfoys do," Ron responded in disgust.

"He said his name was Dobby," Harry offered. Ron just shrugged. He didn't know the name of their house elf. The foursome sat there for a few minutes in silence before Irlynn took notice of the lack of light outside.

"We should probably get back to our Common Rooms. We don't want to get detention our first night back," she said. Her fellow students nodded and stood up.

Far below them, Snape sat in his private quarters, the bottle of brandy back at his side. He was determined to get some peace to himself tonight before the hell of the term erupted the following morning. He poured himself a glass and was about to toss it back when there was a knock on his door. With a grumble he stood up and crossed the room in a few long strides. He pulled the door open with more force than he intended and stumbled back a step or two as a result. Dumbledore stood on the other side of the threshold, that trademark twinkle in his gaze.

"Headmaster?" Snape drawled, automatically stepping back so the older man could enter. He didn't really want visitors at the moment but he knew he couldn't talk the Headmaster out of the visit. Dumbledore entered the room and spotted the drink sitting on the side table.

"A bit early in the term for that don't you think?" he asked. Snape just shook his head and tossed the drink back.

"Is there something you need?" Snape asked, reaching to pour another glass.

"I was under the impression you wished to finish our conversation from this morning," Albus replied, conjuring a glass for himself and pouring himself a drink as well. Severus took a breath before sinking into his chair. Snape cleared his throat before he started to speak.

"Before the start of term last year, a letter came into my profession from Lily Potter," Severus began, trying to keep his explanation as vague as he could. He didn't need Dumbledore pestering him about his feelings for her.

"From Lily?" Albus pressed.

"She had written it eleven years previous and had never sent it," Severus replied.

"I see…and it was addressed to…" Dumbledore probed.

"Myself," Severus said bluntly. Albus merely nodded his head again, waiting for Snape to continue.

"As I mentioned earlier, it contains information I believe you need to know," Snape continued. He tossed back another drink and set the glass down roughly on the table.

"In the letter…she explained that she became pregnant with…two children…" he trailed off. Much to his surprise Dumbledore nodded as if already knew that information.

"We discovered this at the end of last term," Dumbledore said simply.

"You did?" Severus asked.

"Yes. Miss McQuillen conducted a search for her birth mother and she discovered that she and Mr. Potter shared the same parents," Dumbledore explained. Severus couldn't stop himself from letting out a scoff.

"I would not say they share the same parents," he retorted. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"Her letter informed me that I was the father of one of the children, a little girl," Severus said.

"I…I see. This is certainly unexpected," Dumbledore murmured.

"She kept the existence of the second child a secret from her husband. She felt she had no other choice but to give her up," Severus offered. Silence fell over the room and Severus stared at the Headmaster, waiting for some kind of response.

"Would you have taken the child had you known at that time?" the Headmaster finally asked.

"Honestly, I do not believe I would have. I was not in a position to raise a child. And I do not wish to interfere with her life now. She has a family that she has known all of her life and I have no business injecting myself into that," Severus rambled. Part of him wished he could say he wanted to be in the girl's life. She was after all his own flesh and blood. It's what Lily would have wanted for them. But the larger, perhaps more selfish part of him, did not wish to have a twelve-year-old in his house. He was very much accustomed to the bachelor life. And no matter how much he knew Lily would want him to take their daughter in, he could not ruin her life by taking her away from the people that cared about her.

"Severus…did it occur to you that maybe she would like to know her father?" Dumbledore questioned. His voice was very soft.

"What could I possibly offer the girl?" Severus snapped.

"An explanation…show her the letter from Lily. She deserves answers," Albus replied. In the back of his mind he knew he was being hypocritical. He was urging Severus to give Irlynn the answers she longed for, yet he could not bring himself to give those same answers to Harry. Silence fell once more and each man contemplated his own glass, Dumbledore's still full. Finally, Severus gave the other man a pained look.

"Her search was for her mother, not me," Snape said simply. He stood, prompting Dumbledore to do the same and walk to the door. Severus opened the door and Albus crossed the threshold.

"And may I suggest Headmaster; you give Potter the answers he is looking for. He will need it more than she will," he suggested. Albus looked Severus in the eye and nodded. He was right. He needed to explain to Harry why he had to remain with his mother's sister. With that he walked down the corridor, leaving Snape to watch him disappear around a corner.


	9. Pixie Dust

**Pixie Dust**

The follow morning arrived quickly for everyone at Hogwarts and the students found themselves dragging themselves out of bed to get to class on time. Harry stared at his oatmeal through blurred vision. He hadn't had to get up this early since he'd been at the Dursleys.

"What do we have first?" Ron asked through a yawn.

"Defense against the Dark Arts," Hermione answered, grinning a little. Ron and Harry shared a disgusted look.

"Bloody hell…not you too. It's like every girl is in love with that twit," Ron groaned. Harry looked over his shoulder to see Irlynn in conversation with Luna.

"I think there might one or two exceptions to that," he muttered but neither Ron nor Hermione were listening.

"Did you even read his books?" Hermione asked. Before Ron could even give an answer she cut him.

"Well of course you didn't but…he's done so many wonderful things. We should be lucky to have him as a professor," Hermione said. Ron just shook his head as they finished eating and headed off to class. They reached the classroom to find the Slytherin students standing around. Harry saw Draco and the two exchanged glares. They took seats in the middle of the classroom and waited for Lockhart to appear. Appear in the flesh at least. The walls were all adorned with photographs of him, looking very content and full of themselves.

"I think he's got a complex," Harry whispered to Dean.

"I'd say," Dean snickered just as the door opened and Lockhart appeared in the doorway wearing rather vibrant purple robes. He fixed the students sitting before him with a wide, pearly white smile.

"Good morning, students," he said, descending the staircase to stand directly in front of them.

'Good morning, Professor," they replied in a staggered unison.

"I trust you all have your books for this year," he said, his voice taking on a sugary quality as he looked at his own stack of texts. It was almost affectionate. Ron couldn't help but make a gagging face at Harry.

"Now…" he continued, a very large pile of papers appearing in his hands.

"I have a short little quiz for you to take today before we begin our lessons together," he concluded, passing out the piles of paper. Students gasped and groaned as the quizzes reached their desks. Harry stared at the quiz and nearly laughed. This wasn't a short quiz. This was the longest and biggest waste of parchment he'd ever seen. He glanced over some of the questions and had to work very hard to stifle a laugh.

"You may begin. You have the first half of class to finish," Lockhart announced. Quills appeared from bags ad people started to scribble. Harry just sat there looking dumbfounded at some of the questions. He looked around the classroom to see the girls' quills moving at a much faster pace than the boys'. He flipped a couple of pages into the quiz and let his head slowly collide with the desk. This was going to be the worst day of his academic life.

He spent the remainder of the time allotted, scribbling down answers as they came to him, often answers that were just as ridiculous as the questions. When Lockhart clapped his hands together to get their attention, Harry was glad to put his quill down. He could feel his hand muscles starting to cramp up.

"Pass them forward, thank you," Lockhart called, waving hiss hands at them.

"Nutter," Ron muttered in Harry's ear as he passed the tests up.

"Completely," Harry agreed.

"Now…I have one small exercise today before we are dismissed," Lockhart continued, revealing a large cage covered by a white cloth. The cage rattled wildly and when he removed the cloth, several of the students in the front row, jumped back. Small blue creatures fluttered around in the cage, climbing over and biting each other in an effort to escape.

"Can anyone tell me what these are?" Lockhart asked.

"He probably doesn't know," Seamus snickered.

"They're Cornish pixies," Hermione answered.

"Correct! Very good. Now we aren't going be dealing with them today. Just wanted you all to get acquainted," he began until one of the pixies managed to undo the latch, forcing the small cage door to swing open. The creatures flew out of the cage much like a disturbed bee hive. Shrieks erupted from several students, diving under desks and sprinting for the door. Harry and Ron ducked under a table as well just in time.

"Oh…oh dear," Lockhart mumbled to himself, realizing that only Harry, Ron and Hermione were now left in the room.

"You three wouldn't mind rounding the rest of them up would you? Wonderful," he squeaked before taking off up the stairs to his office.

"Bit of a wuss isn't he," Ron remarked as Hermione dragged both he and Harry out from beneath the desk.

"Come on, we have to hurry up or we'll be late for Potions," Hermione snapped, tapping her wand against her chin in thought. Harry picked up one of his books and swatted an incoming pixie, sending it spiraling to the ground.

"Nice hit," Ron complimented.

"Thanks," Harry said, smacking another.

"We don't want to hurt them," Hermione interjected, pointing her wand at the large cluster of pixies that were playing with the chandelier.

"Immobilus," she chanted and every pixie in the room became suspended in mid-air.

"Come on, help me get them back in the cage," she ordered. The boys climbed up on chairs and carefully picked the frozen creatures from the air. Ron was about heave a pixie at the cage when he got a withering look from Hermione.

About ten minutes later, they had managed to gather all of the pixies and put them back in the cage.

"We're sure that's all of them?" Ron asked, slightly out of breath.

"If it's not, then it serves Lockhart right," Harry muttered.

"I think we've got them all. Come on, we have to go. We're already late," Hermione said, picking up her bag and walking out of the room at a pace that suggested she was trying to walk faster than the speed of light. Harry and Ron followed at a slower pace.

"Well…that was an interesting start to the year," Ron commented as they descended towards th dungeons.

"Is it strange that I would have actually preferred Quirrel?" Harry asked.

"Well….yeah, mate. He tried to kill you," Ron answered.

"So did Lockhart…it was just not as direct," Harry added.

"Are you two coming?" Hermione called from several yards ahead. Ron and Harry jogged to catch up with her. They finally reached the potions classroom.

"Maybe it would be better if we just you know…didn't go in," Ron hissed.

"It's the first day, Ronald. I don't want to miss the lesson," Hermione spat back and pushed open the door. Snape stood at the front of the classroom, glaring at the entirely of the students before him. There was no one he could favor this year. He looked up to see Harry, Ron and Hermione walking in. In two long, lanky strides he had met them halfway up the room.

"What is your excuse this time?" he demanded.

"We had to round up some rogue Cornish Pixies for Professor Lockhart," Hermione answered.

"Take your seats," he drawled and turned on his heel, marching to the front of room. Harry slipped into the seat next to Irlynn and when Snape's back was turned, she leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"Did you really have to round up pixies?" she whispered.

"Yes," Harry murmured back. Snape spun back around and glared at the pair, his look no less harsh when it turned to Irlynn.

"Forty points from Gryffindor and ten from Ravenclaw. I do not tolerate talking in my class," he snarled. Ron and Hermione found seats near the back and took out parchment and quills, waiting for Snape to continue his lecture. Harry and Irlynn did their best to pay attention.

The class carried on for what felt like an eternity when finally he dismissed them. Harry, Ron and Hermione congregated at the back of the classroom, fully expecting to have earned themselves detention for being late and disrupting the class. Snape didn't notice them at first.

"Come on…let's just leave. Maybe he won't notice," Ron hissed in Hermione's ear. She nodded and they were about halfway out the door when he looked up and spotted them. They stopped dead in their tracks. He made no attempt to stand. His glare was commanding enough.

"I will be inquiring into your excuse, Miss Granger. If I find it to be false, you will all have detention tomorrow evening," he said. The trio nodded and rushed off down the corridor in the direction of Charms.

"With our luck, Lockhart won't remember our names and we'll get detention," Ron groaned.

"Don't worry. He'll remember at least my name," Harry sighed as they reached the classroom and took their seats.


	10. To Duel Or Not To Duel

**To Duel Or Not To Duel**

The rest of the first day of classes passed without any problems. At dinner time, Harry caught sight of Snape and Lockhart talking. He managed to walk close enough to overhear their conversation briefly.

"I'm afraid I may have…inadvertently left the latch a bit unsecure on the cage you see. And they were so kind enough as to stay and round them up for me…lessons to prepare for and all," Lockhart rambled. Harry could tell that Snape wanted nothing more than to hex the man in front of him. Snape caught sight of Harry and gave the boy a glare before turning away from the other Professor. Harry averted his gaze and joined Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table.

"I don't think Snape will give us detention. Lockhart told him the same thing we did," he informed his friends.

"That won't stop him, Harry. It's Snape…he doesn't think he needs a reason," Ron grumbled. Harry just shrugged and piled food onto his plate. A few seats down, Ginny sat staring at her food. She merely pushed it around the plate. Ron looked over at his sister.

"Oi, Gin. You ok?" he asked. Ginny jumped at the sound of his voice.

"What?" she asked.

"Are you ok? You look a little pale," Ron answered, simultaneously attempting to steal the chicken thigh off of her plate. She swatted his hand away without even looking at it.

"I'm fine," she answered, standing up and stalking away from the table. Fred and George leaned across the table.

"What's with her?" Fred asked.

"Dunno. Maybe she's just nervous after her first day," Ron mumbled, reaching over to the plate and taking the piece of chicken.

Harry looked up as footsteps walked behind them. He caught Snape glaring at them as he walked by the table. He did not look very happy to be waking by and not doling out detention. However he felt he should at least just this once keep his word. Hermione let out a breath once the surly Professor had reached the Staff table.

"Maybe you're right. It looks like he isn't going to give us detention…but he certainly doesn't look too happy about it," she commented as they finished eating.

"What do we have next?" Harry asked as they walked out of the Great Hall. Hermione pulled out her timetable and scanned it.

"We've got Transfiguration next," she answered and the trio headed off in that direction.

The afternoon passed rather quickly and soon the trio found themselves claiming seats in the Common Room, pulling out their Potions books. Ron stared at the assignment and let out a groan.

"I can't believe he gave us an essay on the first day," he bemoaned.

"I can't believe its due in two days," Harry added.

"Oh honestly. It's not that hard," Hermione muttered with a shake of her head. They fell into relative silence as each began the essay. In the Ravenclaw Common Room, Irlynn sat working on Charms homework. She sat in a plush seat, her legs crossed beneath her. She was so engrossed in her reading that she didn't hear Luna walk up.

"Hi Irlynn," Luna said in her dreamy voice. Irlynn looked up, startled.

"Oh, hi Luna. You startled me," Irlynn replied, setting her book aside. Luna sat down in the chair next to her.

"I'm sorry. How was your summer?" Luna asked.

"It was fine. Got to see a lot of my Muggle friends which was great. I really miss them during the term you know," Irlynn rambled on. Luna nodded her head, her large blue eyes staring at the other girl intensely.

"How about you?" she asked.

"Oh very good, thank you. What are you working on?" Luna answered.

"Charms," Irlynn replied, holding up the book. Luna nodded her head again and stood up.

"I think I'm going to go down to the kitchens and get some pudding," she said and wandered off. Irlynn just watched her go and turned her attention back to her homework.

Afternoon turned into evening and then into night time. The trio all turned in early, exhausted from the first day of classes. When they awoke the next morning, they found large flyers covering the bulletin board in the Common Room advertising a Dueling Club run by none other than Professor Lockhart.

"What do you think? Should we go? I reckon it'd be a right good laugh to see Lockhart in action," Ron snickered as they headed to breakfast.

"I don't know. I mean…it's only the second day," Harry replied.

"Oh come on, Harry. It will be fun. And you're a great wizard," Hermione prodded.

"Ok. We can go. But I don't know about actually dueling. We've never done it before," Harry conceded with a sigh. Hermione looked thrilled with the agreement and smiled to herself.

"She's love struck," Ron whispered.

"I don't see what they all like about the idiot," he added.

"Guess we'll find out this afternoon," Harry replied, piling some sausages onto his plate.

Harry looked around the Great Hall, finally spotting Irlynn at the Ravenclaw table. She looked up just in time to catch his gaze. She gave him a small wave and he returned the gesture.

"Do you ever wish she was in Gryffindor?" Ron asked, pulling Harry back to the present.

"Huh?" he mumbled.

"Do you ever wish Irlynn was in Gryffindor?" Ron repeated.

"Sometimes. But she seems happy to be in Ravenclaw," Harry answered, realizing students in their year were heading out of the Hall. They followed suit and found themselves subjected to the unfortunate circumstance of History of Magic Year Two.

"I thought we were done with this rubbish," Ron grumbled.

"Just because you don't find it fascinating," Hermione shot back.

"Hermione…no one but you likes this class," Harry interjected. She just shook her head and pulled out an ink bottle, quill and piece of parchment. Professor Binns' ghost appeared at the front of the room and began to drone on in his usual manner, picking up the where the class had ended the year before. Harry was never more excited to go to lunch than he was at the end of History of Magic.

"Who do you suppose will be at the Dueling Club?" Harry asked, spotting Irlynn.

"I suppose most everyone," she replied.

"You going?" he asked.

"Yeah. I've never done it before…it sounds fun," she said with a smile.

"I bet you'll be good at it," she added, nudging him in the arm. He tried to hide a small smile.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

"I'll see you later. I've got Transfiguration," she called and rushed off in the opposite direction they were going in.

The stretch of afternoon classes passed quickly that day, the anticipation of the dueling club thick in the air. Students moved in large packs through the corridors, conversations filled with theories and guesses as to what was going to happen. When the last class of the day finally let out, the entirety of the Hogwarts student body arrived en masse at the doors to the Great Hall.

Lee Jordan and Oliver Wood managed to make it to the front of the crowd and pushed open the doors. Everyone swarmed into the room to find the tables all pushed to the edges of the room, a raised platform in the center of the room. People set bags down out of the way and milled around, catching up with friends from other years and houses. After a few minutes, Lockhart appeared, stepping up onto the stage. Harry, Ron and Hermione had caught up with Irlynn and they stood in a small huddle near the front of the room. Ron was the first to spot the other Professor entering the room.

"What's he doing here?" he hissed, drawing his friends' attention to the tall, lanky, darkly clad form of Professor Snape.

"Great…he's not giving us detention…he's going to punish us with this," Harry gasped.

"Don't be silly," Hermione hissed.

"I kind of agree with Ron and Harry," Irlynn interjected.

Lockhart looked out at the students filling the space. He gave hem his sugary sweet smile and clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. Slowly voices died down to a whisper and then the room fell silent.

"I would like to thank you all for coming today. I am sure you are all anxious to enhance and sharpen your dueling skills. And I am here to be your guide," Lockhart boomed. Several girls made swooning noises while several of the boys snorted in amusement. Next, Lockhart turned to Snape.

"And today, Professor Snape has agreed to help me demonstrate proper dueling technique," he added. Without another word, the two men faced each other in the center of the platform. They turned on their heels and walked several paces in opposite directions before turning back to face each other. Snape was quick as a whip.

"Expeliarmus," he chanted with a minute flick of his wand. Lockhart was sent hurtling backwards several feet, landing on his back. Several of the students let out snickers. Lockhart quickly pulled himself to his feet and gave a small laugh of his own.

"I could have deflected his spell had I wanted to," he announced.

"This is going to be loads of fun," Ron whispered.


	11. Snakes and Bludgers

Snakes and Bludgers

**Snakes and Bludgers**

Students stayed where they were, just waiting for Lockhart's next instruction. He just stared out at them for a few more moments before spotting Harry. His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree and waved the boy onto the stage. Harry, with some prodding and shoving from the Weasleys stumbled up the stage. Snape gave Harry a dark look before turning around and summoning one of his own students up. Harry paled slightly when he realized he would be facing Draco. Draco gave Harry his trademark sneer as they walked towards each other.

"Now boys, do have fun," Lockhart said by way of giving them instruction. Harry could feel the sweat accumulating on the back of his neck as he gripped his wand. He knew everyone was watching, ready to judge him; The Boy Who Lived. Before Harry could even open his mouth to speak, Draco flourished his wand in Harry's direction.

"Serpensortia," he chanted and a large snake came slithering out of the tip of his wand. Several loud gaps and shrieks went up from the crowd as the creature wormed and wiggled its way towards Harry. The Gryffindor stumbled backwards a few paces as the snake advanced on him. In the background, Snape let out a grumble and pushed Draco out of the way. The snake had turned away from Harry and inching its way towards Seamus and Dean.

"Don't move Potter," he snapped, brandishing his own wand. Just as Snape was about to cast the spell to get rid of the snake, Harry opened his mouth.

"Leave them alone," Harry called. He was unaware that his command came out sounding like a hiss. The snake looked at him curiously but continued its advance.

"I said leave them be," he said again, his tone angrier but still coming out as a series of airy hissing noises. Snape had stopped in his tracks momentarily, just watching the exchange. Had he really just witnessed what he thought he had? Was this boy a Parseltongue? He quickly regained his composure and with a wave of his wand, the snake disappeared. Lockhart, who had been standing some distance away, gave a weak laugh.

"Ok….that's enough for today," he squeaked. Some students groaned but most rushed from the Hall. Harry looked around stepped off the stage.

"What's going on? Why is everyone freaking out?" Harry asked. Irlynn dragged him away from the crowd, Ron and Hermione trailing behind them until they were out of the Hall and in a secluded alcove in the corridor.

"Uh…you sort of….hissed at the snake," Irlynn informed him.

"I what?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Right before Snape made it go away, you hissed at it and it looked like it knew what you were saying," Hermione added.

"No…I told it to leave Seamus and Dean alone," Harry replied.

"It sounded like a snake," Ron muttered.

"I…I didn't mean to…I just didn't want it to hurt them," Harry expounded as they began to walk towards the library.

"Well…do you…you know…talk to snakes often?" Ron asked once they'd found a quiet spot near the back of the library.

"No Ron. I don't make a habit of it," Harry snapped. Ron just shrugged.

"Well has it every happened before?" Irlynn pressed. Harry thought for a minute.

"One time…it was at the zoo for Dudley's birthday last year. One minute the glass was in the cage and then it wasn't. The snake slithered out and said thanks," Harry explained.

"Then Dudley got stuck inside the cage," he added with a snicker.

"Oh that's funny," Irlynn giggled.

"Yeah…Uncle Vernon didn't think so," Harry muttered. He wanted to add something to the effect of 'I'm surprised you didn't see that one' but he didn't want to get Hermione and Ron suspicious. He got the feeling she didn't want people to know about her visions.

"Well…it looked like everyone else freaked out," Irlynn commented. Harry nodded. He had noticed the mass exodus from the room. Hermione seemed to have drifted off into her own little world until Ron nudged her in the ribs.

"Oi, Hermione. You alright?" he asked. She jumped a little and looked at him.

"I was thinking," she snapped.

"I think I read in Hogwarts: A History that Salazar Slytherin could talk to snakes too. It's called Parseltongue," Hermione explained.

"You're saying….Slytherin talked to snakes too? Great, everyone already thinks I'm loony," Harry groaned, laying his head down on his arms.

"Just don't go doing it often…maybe people won't notice?" Ron suggested.

"The whole bloody school was there, Ron! Besides, nothing stays a secret here for long," Harry bemoaned. After a few more minutes of trying to reassure Harry that everything would be fine, they parted ways and returned to the Gryffindor Common Room. Seamus and Dean gave Harry a lot of space as he walked in.

"What's wrong with you two?" he asked.

"What's wrong with us? What's the bloody matter with you? Egging that thing on," Seamus answered.

"I was not. I was telling it to leave you two alone," Harry snapped, storming up to the boys' dormitory. Ron just fixed them with a glare before following Harry up the stairs.

The rest of the week passed by and Harry endured the glares and scared looks from his fellow students. Thankfully, Irlynn, Ron and Hermione were there for him. Most of the Gryffindor Quidditch team were supportive as well, especially Fred and George. Sunday had finally arrived and Harry was finishing changing in the boy's locker room. He didn't hear Oliver walk up behind him until the older boy spoke.

"You ready for today, Harry?" he asked, clapping the younger wizard on the shoulder.

"I suppose. I expect I'll be dodging Bludgers all game," Harry sighed as they went to meet the rest of the team.

"Keep your head up," Wood said just as they mounted their brooms and flew out onto the pitch, facing Slytherin. Harry was surprised to see Draco Malfoy opposite him. He could see the other boy making hissing faces at him. He just shook his head and rose above the rest of the players in anticipation of the release of the snitch. Madam Hooch gave her usual speech about playing fairly. The Slytherin players just sneered behind her back. She let the Quaffle fly into the air and blew her whistle.

Harry watched thee match unfold, cheering as Oliver blocked a couple of shots. His eyes searched the sky for the small golden ball but he didn't get much of a chance to look as a bludger came hurtling towards his head. He managed to swerve out of the way just in time. He looked around but didn't see any of the beaters from either team near him. He tried to shrug it off but the bludger came screaming back from the other direction. Harry had to go into a nose dive to avoid being hit.

It didn't do any good because the ball just kept chasing him all over the pitch until it finally collided with his arm, knocking him off his broom. He went tumbling head over feet a time or two before coming to rest. He could feel the sharp pain in his arm as he lay there, trying to keep his eyes closed to shut out the pain. It didn't help much, especially when Madam Hooch's whistle screeched near his ear. He slowly opened his eyes to see several Professors leaning over his body. It was then that he caught sight of his arm. It was badly bent at an odd angle and he could see bone almost poking through skin. It looked grotesque.

"Oh dear, don't move," Madam Hooch ordered. He weakly nodded his head.

"I can fix this," Lockhart offered with that annoying smile of his. Harry swallowed nervously as Lockhart went in search of his wand. Harry looked over at Madam Hooch and mouthed the words 'No!' She patted his shoulder sympathetically. By this point Professor McGonagall had joined the mass of people around him. She looked at his arm and fixed him with a sympathetic look as well.

"Just stay still," she instructed him.

"Not a problem," Harry said, wincing a little as the pain in his arm intensified.

"There we are," Gilderoy muttered, having finally found his wand. He shook his hands a few times before turning the slender piece of wood to Harry's arm.

"Uh Professor, maybe I should just got to the Hospital Wing?" Harry protested.

"Nonsense," Lockhart replied and waved his wand.

Instead of repairing the bones in Harry's arm, everything within seemed to just disappear. It felt very unpleasant and strange, as if his whole arm had fallen asleep instantly. His arm looked like rubber. He slowly reached over and picked his arm up by the wrist. It was like a noodle and wobbled around very disconcertingly.

"Oh…well…that wasn't supposed to happen," Lockhart said, looking very confused and slightly embarrassed. Harry began to feel panic rising up inside of him. What had Lockhart done?


	12. Bones and Warnings

Bones and Warnings

**Bones and Warnings**

The afternoon seemed interminable as Harry finally lay in the Hospital Wing. He looked down at his arm and winced even though there was literally nothing there. His mind replayed the events again, seeing the bludger going after him like it had a mission to kill him. He knew people would be freaked out about the snake but did people really have that much anger?

"Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey said, tapping him on his shoulder. He looked up and saw her holding a cup of something that smelled and looked disgusting. She extended it to him but he didn't take it.

"Drink it," she ordered. He gingerly accepted the mug and downed the liquid, nearly gagging as it slithered down his throat like sludge.

"What is that?" he coughed.

"Skele-grow," she replied, setting the mug down.

"What's it…" Harry began to ask but cringed as he felt his boneless arm begin to tingle with a strange sensation.

"You just need to let it work. With any luck, all of your bones will have grown back by tomorrow morning," Madam Pomfrey explained before walking away. As soon as she had rounded the corner, Harry tried to move in the bed to get more comfortable but found that any movement seemed to aggravate his arm. So he resigned himself to lay as still as he could.

He drifted off to sleep for a while. Unaware of what was going on around him, he missed the grumbling of the Gryffindor team as they trudged up to the Tower. By default and some dumb luck on Draco's part, Slytherin had managed to win the game. Ron and Hermione file din after the team and sunk into chairs in the Common Room.

"It looked painful," Hermione commented softly.

"I bet. And when Lockhart botched the spell…no surprise really. I mean honestly he couldn't even round up pixies," Ron muttered darkly. Much to his surprise, Hermione did not jump to defend Lockhart.

"I wonder when we can see him," Hermione sighed, toying with her sleeve.

"We can go ask Madam Pomfrey," Ron answered and stood up. Hermione stayed sitting for a minute before following him. They were about to head out through the portrait hole when Ginny came charging through, nearly running her brother over.

"Sorry, Gin," Run mumbled. Ginny didn't respond. She just kept walking up the stairs in the direction of the girls' dormitory. Ron caught Fred's eye and they shared a confused look.

"I've never seen them all so gloomy over losing a match. You'd think they'd be more worried about Harry," Ron rambled as they headed for the hospital wing.

"They're boys. What do you expect," Hermione muttered mostly to herself.

"I'm a boy too," Ron retorted. Hermione just shook her head. When they reached the hospital wing, they found Harry sound asleep. His broken arm looked rather lumpy and awkward as the bones began to regenerate themselves.

"Oh that looks awful," Hermione gasped. She had spoken louder than she had thought because Harry's eyes slowly fluttered open. He blurrily looked at his friends, instinctively reaching for hiss glasses with his bad arm.

"Bloody hell," he groaned, feeling pain shoot up the length of his arm. Ron rounded the bed and handed his friend the glasses sitting on the night table.

"Thanks," Harry muttered.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked.

"Like I got hit by a bus," he laughed. She shook her head.

"My arm feels weird…and I can't move without it hurting more," he said more seriously.

"It looks like it hurts," Hermione agreed.

"Skele-grow is nasty stuff," Ron interjected.

"But it works fast…" he added.

"Yeah, Madam Pomfrey said if I'm lucky they bones will all grow back by tomorrow," Harry replied.

"We lost…the team is pretty upset," Ron said.

"It's one game," Harry yawned.

"You should rest. We'll see you tomorrow," Hermione stated, standing up and starting lead Ron away from the bed.

"If you see Irlynn…tell her to stop by," Harry called after them. Hermione looked over her should and nodded.

The rest of the evening was uneventful for Ron and Hermione. Neither of them saw Irlynn until after dinner. Ron spotted her first and waved to her. She slowly made her way over to them.

"Harry's asking for you in the hospital wing," Hermione informed the other girl.

"Oh…thanks. Do you think it's too late to go see him?" Irlynn replied.

"You can probably see him for a little while," Ron answered.

"Great. I'll see you later," she called and headed off in the direction of the hospital wing. By the time she got there, the room had grown dark from the lack of stars and moon in the night sky. She looked around until she spotted Harry. She approached the bed quietly but found there was no need. He was wide awake.

"Hi," she said softly, sitting down in the chair that Hermione had pulled over earlier.

"Hi," Harry replied, trying not to look at his arm. It had made decent progress since his other friends had stopped by but it still looked very awkward, almost as if it had been run over by a car.

"How is your arm doing?" Irlynn asked.

"Ok…it still hurts…the bones are still growing back," Harry answered.

"Ouch," she said sympathetically.

"So…I didn't see anyone hitting that bludger at you specifically…it was strange…like it had a mind of its own," she informed him.

"Thanks for looking out for me," Harry murmured. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Madam Pomfrey appeared, telling Irlynn that it was time to go.

"Hopefully you'll be out of here tomorrow," Irlynn whispered before heading out of the room.

The following morning, Harry woke up to find his arm fully repaired. It flexed it a couple times and wiggled all of his fingers just to make sure everything worked properly. After being examined by Madam Pomfrey, he was allowed to leave. He got to Charms just in time to not be marked late. Professor Flitwick, from his perch atop several pillows gave Harry a little wink and a smile.

By the time the beginning of October rolled around, most of the students seemed to have forgotten about the Dueling Club incident and the Quidditch fiasco with the bludger. Harry couldn't deny that he was happy that people seemed to have put it on the back burner.

"Why are you so happy?" Irlynn asked as they headed for Potions.

"I don't know…things are good lately. People don't look at me like I'm going to send a giant snake after them," Harry replied with a laugh. Neither of them noticed Professor Snape watching them from the end of the corridor. He watched both of them, but his attention rested on Irlynn. The more he watched her, the more he was reminded of Lily, of the subtle way she talked with her hands, the way she brushed her air out of her face. In the back of his mind, he knew he needed to try and honor Lily's wishes. He took a step forward but stopped himself. He had already told the headmaster he wouldn't interfere in the girl's life. He stood still for a moment more before entering the classroom from his office.

The lesson was simple enough but he felt as if he were teaching first years again. None of the students appeared to grasp the concept and he ended up with mostly botched potions by the end of class.

"That was horrible," Irlynn groaned as they walked out. She was trying to brush the remaining particles of soot off of her robes.

"Snape looked ready to explode," Ron agreed. They foursome split up in the Defense corridor and went their own ways.

The rest of the day seemed to drag on, despite Harry's mood. Somehow he'd managed to stay cheerful even through Potions. Ron had whispered to Hermione that he thought it was the fumes from the cauldron.

That evening the trio sat in the library near the outer wall, watching as storm clouds began to roll in. The area was so quiet, they all jumped with the first crack of thunder and flash of lightning. Shortly after the rain started to fall, pounding on the windows rather rapidly, they packed up their books and started back towards Gryffindor Tower. On their way they happened upon a corridor. Harry took a step or two forwards only to find the floor flooded wit water.

"That's strange," he muttered. They moved a little further down the corridor to find a shadowy creature hanging from the wall.

"What…is that?" Ron croaked. They got close enough to see it clearly and realized it was Mrs. Norris, Filtch's cat.

"What happened to her?" Hermione whispered. Harry didn't hear her question. He had moved a little closer to the wall. Something was written on the stones. He had to step back a pace or two to take in the entire thing. His jaw dropped a little.

"Um…guys look," he said, catching Ron and Hermione's attention. They turned to look as both let out gasps. 'Enemies of the Heir beware'.


	13. Conversation Starters

Conversation Starters

**Conversation Starters**

The trio stared in stunned silence at the message on the wall. What did it mean? Who was the heir? None of them heard the footsteps behind them until a very twisted shriek erupted right next to Ron's ear. He looked up to see Filch quivering from head to toe, his hands extending and retracting in the direction of Mrs. Norris. The man's eyes darted to Harry.

"You. You did this!" he howled.

"No…no I didn't. I swear. We found her like this," Harry protested.

"What did you do to her?' the man cried, fat tears falling down his cheeks.

"Nothing. We didn't do anything," Harry reiterated. Just then several other pairs of footsteps came up the corridor. Professor McGonagall stopped in her tracks when she saw the petrified cat.

"What…what happened here?' she finally asked.

"We don't know, honest, Professor. We were just walking and found it," Ron babbled.

"They did it Professor. I know they did," Filch protested, looking to Dumbledore.

"Now, Argus, I'm sure we can return Mrs. Norris to her rightful state. No need to get flustered," Albus replied, fixing Harry with his intense blue stare.

"You three may go," he added, ushering the trio away from the scene. They took off gratefully, their feet sliding on the dry stones.

'What do you think it mean, Albus?" Minerva asked in a whisper. Dumbledore looked at the message on the wall and then to the petrified cat on the wall.

"I am afraid it may mean…that the Chamber of Secrets may have been opened," he sighed, shaking his head.

Off in the Ravenclaw Tower, Irlynn was lying in her bed, reading her Herbology textbook when she was hit with a vision. She saw Ron and Hermione walking up the corridor from the library. They happened upon a large pool of water and what appeared to be a dead cat. She watched s the text on the wall grew bigger…Harry was taking a step back. As soon as the words registered in her mind she was pulled out of the vision. She couldn't keep herself from gasping in horror at the words on the wall.

Without thinking, she tossed her book aside and ran out of the room. Her feet thundered on the hard stones of the corridor as she raced towards the corridor where Harry, Ron and Hermione had been. She was halfway there when she collided with Harry. They both fell to the ground with a unison 'thud'.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"It's ok. I ran into you," she muttered, standing up.

"Where were you going so fast?" Hermione asked.

"To find you…what was on the wall? Do you know who wrote it?' Irlynn replied, still trying to catch her breath. Ron and Hermione shared a confused look and then looked back to Irlynn.

"How did you know what happened?" Ron asked tentatively.

"Uh…" the other girl trailed off. She didn't want to get into it. Not even Dumbledore knew about her visions.

"Word travels fast," Harry interjected. While they hadn't heard anyone talking about the incident, or seen anyone else in the corridor, he hoped it would work.

"But…" Hermione began to interject.

"I mean…Filch screamed pretty loud," Harry added before taking Irlynn by the arm and beginning to lead her towards an alcove.

"I'll see you back in the Common Room," he called to his friends.

"Must be a brother-sister thing," Ron muttered and went on his way. Hermione shot them an anxious glance before following the redhead.

"That was close," Harry breathed.

"Yeah…thanks for covering for me," Irlynn said with a smile. They managed to both sit down on the ground in the secluded area. Harry looked at her for a minute before speaking again.

"Can I ask you a question?" he asked.

"Yeah," she answered.

"If you can see my memories…how come I can't see yours?" he asked. Irlynn thought a minute and then shrugged.

"I don't know…It's strange. I don't know why I can see your thoughts…and it isn't all the time. It's kind of when you aren't really concentrating or you're embarrassed or scared," Irlynn answered. Harry blushed a little.

"Did you see a lot of things when you were little?" he pressed.

"Sometimes. At first I thought they were just strange dreams or nightmares. And then I started having them when I was awake…like at school. Thankfully my parents didn't think I was a nutter," she began to explain.

"Does Dumbledore know?" Harry interrupted.

"No. I suppose I should tell him…but what does it really matter…it's not like I can see just anybody's thoughts," Irlynn muttered.

"Maybe you should tell him. I don't think it's normal…even for a witch," Harry offered. Irlynn slowly nodded her head.

"Ok…I suppose you're right," Irlynn sighed. Just Irlynn was standing up, Harry's ears pricked at a sound. It was echoing and sounded vaguely familiar. It was a voice and it had almost a hissing quality to the tone. It was saying his name and that it wanted blood.

"Did you hear that?" he asked Irlynn as he too stood up.

"Here what?" she asked.

"That voice…it was calling my name," Harry murmured.

"Maybe you should tell Dumbledore. I don't think that's normal…even for a wizard," Irlynn retorted with a smirk.

"I'm serious," Harry snapped as they started off to fin Dumbledore's office.

Up in the Headmaster's office, Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, reading the Daily Prophet. He was waiting for Snape to arrive. Just then there was a curt knock on the door and it opened to reveal Snape.

"You called for me, Headmaster," he said, sitting down immediately.

"Yes. Are you aware of what happened this evening in the corridor by the library?" Dumbledore asked.

"I am not," Snape replied shortly.

"Mrs. Norris, Argus' cat, has been petrified and this message was written on the wall," Dumbledore explained, handing the Professor a piece of parchment on which he had written the message. Snape looked at the words and then up to Dumbledore.

"It does not appear to be a prank," Snape observed.

"I agree with you. Do you know anyone who might have done this?" Dumbledore asked.

"I cannot. It seems to imply the Chamber of Secrets however I do not believe any student here can claim the title of "heir'," Snape drawled.

"I would appreciate it if you would keep an eye out for any students that appear to be acting out of the ordinary," Dumbledore said in a tone that Snape believed to be finality. He stood dup but Albus held up his hand to sit back down.

"Is there something else, Headmaster?" Snape asked.

"Yes there is," Dumbledore began, pushing the Daily Prophet aside. There sitting on the man's desk was an envelope bearing Snape's name in a very familiar script. His brow furrowed. He had locked his desk drawer. He looked at Dumbledore and that irritating twinkle in his eye gave it away. It was Lily's letter.

"Where did you get that?" Snape demanding, trying to reach for it.

"A unnamed informant brought the letter to my attention," Dumbledore replied.

"Where is the bloody little creature? I'll wring it's thieving little neck!" Snape roared.

"Severus, calm down. I assure you, nothing has been read," Dumbledore stated. Severus had to grip the edges of the chair to keep from bolting from the room and throttling any house elf he came into contact with.

"I would just like to urge you to reconsider your…approach with Irlynn," the Headmaster added.

"I told you. I'm not getting involved," Snape spat. Dumbledore looked from the letter sitting on his desk to Snape and back again.

"What would Lily think? Her wishes not being honored," he posed. Severus knew his knuckles were turning whiter than they already were as he gripped the arms of the chair. Finally he couldn't contain himself anymore. He stood up and grabbed the letter from the desk. He stuffed it in his robes.

"This is blackmail," he hissed before storming out of the room. He bolted down the spiral steps and nearly knocked Harry and Irlynn over as they were trying to figure out the password. He didn't even notice the pair as he stalked off towards the dungeons. They rushed up the stairs before the gargoyle decided to take up its position again. They made their way up the winding staircase until they came to the door. It was still ajar from when Snape had tried to slam it. Dumbledore looked at the two students and waved them in.

"Come in, come in. What can I do for you?" he asked, offering them lemon drops. Both declined as they took seats across from the Headmaster. He waved his wand hand lazily at the door and it swung shut.

"We uh…we were hoping we could talk to you about some things, Headmaster," Harry began.

"But we didn't mean to interrupt," Irlynn added.

"Professor Snape and I were finished. No need to worry my dear. Now what is it you need to discuss?" Dumbledore replied.


	14. Statues I Didn't See

Statues I Didn't See

**Statues I Didn't See**

Harry and Irlynn looked at each other and then back to Dumbledore. He smiled at them, patiently waiting for their responses.

"I…well it's sort of complicated…" Irlynn began but Harry started to talk over her.

"And I don't know how it happened…but something…" he said before Dumbledore held up his hand.

"One at a time, please," he told them. Harry leaned back nervously in the chair and let Irlynn speak.

"What we were trying to say is…well I sort of…see things sometimes and I don't think it's normal," Irlynn explained. She knew she should give more detail but she wanted to see how Dumbledore took the news first.

"What kind of things?" Dumbledore pressed.

"Um…visions…memories really. But not everyone's…just Harry's," she said slowly.

"How long have you been seeing his memories?" the headmaster probed.

"Since I can remember when I was little. I didn't know what they were…or who they were about until last year…when Harry found the Mirror," she said.

"I don't have visions," Harry supplied, feeling left out of the conversation.

Dumbledore tapped his chin with one of his slender fingers, looking at the two students sitting before him. He could see Lily in both of them now that he knew to look for it. But he could also see James and Severus in them too. It was quite obvious now that he took a moment to really notice their features.

"I do not believe I have ever come across this specific type of connection," Dumbledore said, looking as if he wanted to say more. He let out a breath and stood up, beginning to pace behind his desk.

"There is a skill that can be learned with time that resembled your ability…but…" he trailed off.

"What is it Professor/" Harry asked.

"I would like to look into this. I will let you know what I find," Dumbledore said, sounding very dismissive.

"So…you don't know why I have these visions?" Irlynn asked, sounding let down.

"At this time, no I do not. I will let you know as soon as I know anything. You may go," Dumbledore answered, the door behind them opening on its own. Harry was about to open his mouth to tell the Headmaster about him hearing the voice earlier but decided against it. He seemed agitated and it was better to just leave. The pair stood up and walked down the spiral staircase. The gargoyle moved dutifully out of the way as they appeared in the corridor.

"That was odd,' Harry said as they continued to walk away from the entrance to the staircase.

"Did he seem anxious to you?" Irlynn asked and her brother nodded in agreement.

"Do you suppose we should tell Hermione and Ron about your visions? I mean we can't lie to them forever," Harry muttered as they wandered through the corridors. It was getting late and they didn't want to be caught out after hours.

"I don't know…I feel like the less people that know…the safer it is…" she mumbled.

"I wonder what Snape was all angry about," he stated, changing the subject.

"Who knows…Snape is always angry about something. Though he did seem really mad about something," Irlynn commented as they reached the Ravenclaw Common Room entrance.

"As long as he doesn't catch us out now I don't much care why he's all grumpy," she added.

"I'll see you later," Harry called and began to walk in the direction of Gryffindor Tower. He moved as quickly as he could, hoping he didn't run into any Professors. Luckily he managed to make it back without being spotted. The Common Room was empty when he arrived. He wasn't surprised as he climbed the stairs up to the second year boys' dorm. Ron's snores filled the room as Harry changed into his night clothes and climbed into bed.

Several weeks passed and October rolled into November. Both Irlynn and Harry would get excited when Dumbledore approached them. He never told them he had any information about Irlynn's visions. By the third week of November, Irlynn had almost given up hope that the Headmaster had remembered about their question.

"I'm sure he didn't forget," Harry tried to reassure her.

"He hasn't said a word about it in almost a month. I mean...he is kind of old…maybe we should remind him," Irlynn protested as they headed for Potions.

"I don't think he likes to be bothered," Harry muttered but Irlynn just shrugged her shoulder. They took seats in the back of the class and watched the other students file in. Ron and Hermione took seats near them but said nothing.

"I think they are starting not to like me…I think they can tell we're keeping secrets," Irlynn whispered.

"Well you were the one who didn't want to tell them," Harry retorted, rolling his eyes. She smacked him on the arm and stood up. She walked the few steps over to the other table and leaned in close.

"I just wanted to let you know that…well sometimes…I see Harry's memories. That's how I knew what was written on the wall that night," she said in a hushed tone to avoid being overheard.

"Oh…ok," Ron said, looking confused.

"Seeing things…that's not normal. Maybe you should tell Dumbledore," Hermione suggested. It was Irlynn's turn to roll her eyes.

"We've already tried that…he said he had to look into something but he hasn't told us anything," Irlynn hissed just as the door shut. She looked up to see Professor Lockhart standing in the doorway.

"I…would just like to tell you that Professor Snape will not be conducting class today. Iw ill be taking his post for the morning," Lockhart said and moved to the front of the class. Irlynn sat back down and looked at Harry.

"This is going to be a disaster," she said.

The lesson indeed proved to be very disastrous, mostly for Lockhart. He managed to blow up several potion attempts, managing to singe his robes in the process.

"Class dismissed," he finally announced. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Irlynn bolted from the room as quickly as they could. They had no desire to get stuck cleaning up the mess. On their way out of the dungeons they came across a large mass of students, all huddled around something that lay on the floor. Harry and Irlynn managed to push their way through on one side while Ron and Hermione went around the other. When they got to the center of the crowd, the found two bodies lying still as stone on the floor. One was holding a camera to his face. The other had just a frightened expression on his face.

"Who are they?" several other students asked. Harry recognized the boy with the camera.

"He's a first year Gryffindor. His name is Colin," Harry answered.

"And that's Justin," Hannah Abbott added. Just then teachers began to break up the huddle. One of the Professors present was Snape. He looked to the two boys on the floor and then over at Harry with a disgusted look. Harry swallowed and took several paces backwards.

"Oh my," Professor Flitwick piped as he bent down to check for pulses.

"I don't think they're dead," he announced.

"They've been petrified," Snape drawled, taking a few steps to disperse the crowd. He looked down at Flitwick.

"Perhaps you could transport them to the hospital wing," he said authoritatively. The diminutive wizard nodded and levitated both boys into the air, rushing them off to the hospital wing.

"I wonder what's doing this," Hermione whispered. She and Ron had caught up with Harry and Irlynn.

"I don't know. But I think people think I did it. Filch seemed pretty convinced about his cat. News travels fast," Harry replied. Indeed, some of the students were looking at Harry with anxiety and fear.

"Come on. Let's get out of here," Ron said and dragged his friends away from the scene. Snape watched them go and scowled at the rest of the students until they all departed. Professor McGonagall walked up to him and shook her head.

"This can't be happening," she said softly.

"It appears it is. I shall inform the Headmaster," Snape answered and glided off, leaving her to stand alone. Minerva looked over her shoulder at the man and gave another shake of her head. He seemed different this year. He appeared conflicted, even if he thought he hid it. He was agitated during staff meetings and he was defensive whenever any of the staff tried to talk to him in his private quarters. She slowly made her way up the corridor back to her classroom. Despite what had happened, she had classes to teach that day. And some of the students were preparing for their OWL exams in the spring.

Harry and company ended up in the library. They had separate classes to attend but they didn't want to risk being hexed by nervous students. They stayed there for a good ten minutes before emerging.

"I don't care if I get detention. It's better than getting pummeled by idiots who don't know what's going on," Harry sighed as they reached the Defense classroom.


	15. Feels like Family

Feels like Family

**Feels like Family**

Harry sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his trunk. He couldn't get the thought out of his head that something was wrong…that maybe he did have something to do with Justin and Colin being turned into statues. He hadn't told anyone but he'd been hearing that strange voice again. It kept saying the same thing about wanting blood. He had tried to ignore it but he knew something had to be wrong. He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't hear Ron come in.

"Harry," Ron called, snapping the other boy back to the present.

"Huh?" Harry mumbled.

"Come on. The train is leaving soon," Ron informed him. Harry nodded, standing up and picking up the edge of his trunk. For the first time he was going to have a family who really wanted him around at Christmas. William and Victoria had insisted he stay for Christmas. He wasn't about to object. The two boys ran as quickly as they could with trunks bumping along behind them to the Entrance Hall. Harry spotted Irlynn and dragged his trunk over next to hers.

"Hi," she said.

"Thanks for inviting me to stay," Harry said softly as the students moved en masse out into the frigid December air towards the train station.

"Of course. You are family," Irlynn replied as they walked along.

"I know…it just feels strange sometimes. I haven't told my Aunt and Uncle about you yet…I don't think they'd like it," Harry murmured as they reached the train and went in search of a compartment.

"I think at the end of term, you should just come stay with us the whole summer. If Dumbledore won't tell you why you have to live with them, then you just shouldn't," Irlynn said as they sat down across from each other.

"He has to have a reason…" he began but she cut him off.

"Well you have to just ask him and don't let him tell you to go away until you get the answer," Irlynn retorted.

"Why don't you ask him then," Harry shot. He wasn't sure why but the conversation was starting to get on his nerves. It felt as though she were trying to tell him what to do more and more as the term passed. Irlynn let out a huff and looked out the window.

"I…I didn't mean to snap at you," Harry apologized after a few tense minutes of silence.

"It was only a suggestion," she said softly.

"I just feel like you're trying to tell me what to do sometimes," he admitted.

"I don't mean to…I guess…I don't know. I never had brothers or sisters when I was growing up and now…I don't know what we're supposed to act like…" she rambled.

"I didn't have anyone either…and no Dudley doesn't count," Harry replied. Irlynn turned to look at him and she couldn't help but smile a little. Harry mirrored her expression as the train chugged along.

"I wonder which of us is older," he blurted. He thought he had an idea but he wanted to see if he was right. He was…she was born two minutes before him.

"Somehow I knew that," she laughed.

"Me too," he agreed as the train came to a halt. Harry looked outside to see they had already reached Kings Cross Station.

"That was fast," he said as they climbed off and retrieved their trunks. They waved goodbye to Hermione as she met up with her parents and went in search of William and Victoria. They found the McQuillens standing just outside the barrier of Platform 9 ¾.

"Happy Christmas," Victoria greeted, giving both children a firm hug.

"Thanks Mum. You too," Irlynn said.

"Yeah…thanks so much for letting me come spend Christmas…Mum," Harry added, testing out the word. It didn't sound so bad. He caught Victoria's smile grow in size at the name. With that, the foursome headed for car. Harry wondered briefly what the Dursleys were doing for the holiday but then realized he didn't much care. They certainly wouldn't be concerned with him.

"How was the term?" William asked a she stopped at a stop light. Harry and Irlynn shared a look.

"Different. Something has been attacking students," Harry admitted.

"Attacking students?" Victoria gasped.

"The professors are working on making sure they're ok. No one knows exactly what's going on but the Professor Dumbledore doesn't think it's too much to worry about," Irlynn lied. She knew that Dumbledore was very worried about what was going on.

"It's safe to go back," Harry added.

The rest of the car ride was silent. They arrived at the ferry with just enough time to drive on. Due to the temperature outside, they all elected to stay in the car with the heat on. Harry drifted off to sleep for awhile, the heat lulling him. When he woke up, the ferry was approaching the opposite shore.

"You always fall asleep," Irlynn teased.

"I do not," he hissed back. The adults in the care didn't seem to notice their bickering.

"Do you have other family over?" Harry asked, as William was given the 'ok' to drive onto the bank.

"No…it's just us," Irlynn replied.

"Mum…have you gotten the tree yet?" she asked.

"We bought it but we waited until you two came home to decorate," Victoria answered.

"I've never decorated a tree," Harry whispered, looking ashen-faced.

"It's good fun," Irlynn assured him.

Far away from the shores of Ireland, Dumbledore paced around his office. He had hated to inform Colin and Justin's families of their current state. He had confidence in his staff but they were taking longer to revive the boys than he would have liked. So far, they had been the only students attacked. Despite what several Professors suggested, Dumbledore knew better than to believe this was an isolated incident. He turned back and began pacing the other direction, beginning to wear a path in the floorboards when the door opened and McGonagall walked in, carrying a tea tray.

"Albus," she called. He looked up and gave her a smile. Immediately he sat down and she joined him.

"I thought you might like some tea…to calm your nerves," she said, pouring him a cup.

"Thank you my dear," he replied, picking up the cup and taking a sip.

"What's on your mind?" Minerva pressed as she too took a sip of tea.

"I cannot figure out these attacks," he replied in frustration.

"We're doing all we can for them. I believe Pomona is close. She said that Mandrakes might work. Her seedlings are almost fully grown now," Minerva offered.

"Let us hope it does work. I do not wish to have to return them too their families in this state at the end of term," Dumbledore sighed. They sat in silence for a few more moments before Minerva spoke again.

"Something else is bothering you," she said.

"Yes…I have been asked a most perplexing question…and I do not know the answer," he answered vaguely.

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance?" she asked.

"Miss McQuillen claims to be able to see Mr. Potter's memories at times and has been able to so since she was a child," Dumbledore elaborated.

"That sounds like…" Minerva began and Albus cut her off.

"Legimensy. I know…but she does not require a spell to see these visions," Dumbledore interrupted.

"Have you asked Severus to work with her?" McGonagall questioned. Even she knew he possessed great power in that discipline.

"I do not believe he would be willing to work with her," Dumbledore said.

"I'm sure he would if you impressed upon him how important this is," Minerva replied.

"It is not a matter of knowing the importance of the situation. Severus has decided to distance himself from her in an attempt to…as he put it 'not ruin her life'," Dumbledore explained.

"Well that's absolutely absurd," she scoffed. Dumbledore gave her a smirk and nodded.

"Why on earth would he do that?' she continued. Dumbledore looked at his colleague for a moment. He knew Severus would not be pleased if he shared the knowledge with Minerva but Albus knew he could trust her.

"At the start of term, Severus came to me and informed me that he is in fact Ms. McQuillen's biological father," Dumbledore said softly. Professor McGonagall just stared at him in shock. Severus was Irlynn's father?

"Are you sure…that would mean…" she tried to form a coherent and complete sentence but could not do so.

"Yes…it means that Harry and Irlynn are not in fact twins as we had assumed previously," Dumbledore answered.

"But they are…in a manner of speaking," Minerva said.

"They do not know the truth. Both believe that James Potter is her father as well as his. And at this time I think it best of they believe that," he stated.

"I see. If you think it best then I will say nothing," Minerva said. She stood up and collected the tea tray.

"Have a good evening, Minerva," Dumbledore called as she walked out of the office and down the stairs.


	16. Christmas Wishes

Christmas Wishes

**Christmas Wishes**

Music played in the background as Victoria and William took the tops off of boxes of decorations. Harry looked around in awe. The sitting room looked markedly different draped in strands of garland. The tree bore several strings of colored lights. Irlynn noticed his distracted expression.

"You alright?" she asked.

"Yeah…I just…don't know where to start," he answered.

"Well we've got a couple boxes of stuff to put on." She handed a few ornaments to him and gave him a shove towards the tree. He circled the tree once before placing a small porcelain figurine of a mother and child on a branch midway up. Shortly the rest of the family joined in, ornaments appearing on the tree almost as if by magic.

"What's in this box?" Harry asked, pointing to a sealed container.

"That's the angel that goes up at the top," Irlynn replied, trying not to roll her eyes at him. He just nodded, feeling embarrassed. Victoria had disappeared a short time earlier and the smell of food came wafting in from the kitchen. Irlynn and Harry continued putting the remaining ornaments on the tree while William fished a box of candles from the bottom of a box.

"This is the fun part. But you have to be careful that they don't fall," Irlynn warned. Harry cracked a small smile as they opened the box and emptied it onto the table. William sat back and watched, making sure none of the candles took a tumble.

"Dinner," Victoria called just as William lifted Irlynn up to place the final candle near the top of the tree.

"What about the angel, Mum?" Irlynn asked as William ushered them into the next room.

"You can put it up after we eat."

The family of four sat down at the table and after a brief silent prayer, dug in. Harry looked around the table and let out a breath. Even though he'd spent much of his summer here, the holidays still felt like something new. It was a good feeling. As the meal concluded, Irlynn looked from her parents to her brother and back again.

"I say we flip for who puts the angel on," she said.

"Irlynn, why don't you let Harry do it. He's never done it before," William said.

"What if we do it together?" Harry suggested.

"Ok. That's a good idea." The pair raced out of the room and the sound of things being ripped into could be heard. William stood to go supervise when Victoria placed her hand on his arm.

"They'll be fine. They're not little children," she reminded him. He let out a sigh but gave a nod.

In the other room Harry was pulling the angel out of the protective wrapping. He examined it for a moment, turning it over in his hands.

"She has red hair," he said softly. Irlynn looked at him in confusion.

"So?"

"It reminds me of Mum," he answered. At his comment she leaned in closer, giving it more scrutiny.

"You're right. I guess that's a good thing since she'll be on top of the tree. She'll be watching over us," Irlynn said, looking around for a way to reach the top of the tree.

"Maybe you can lift me up," she said.

"I could levitate you."

"That's using magic outside of school. That could get you in trouble."

"But it's just a little spell. And it's not hurting anything," he protested. She shook her head and began to put the boxes from the table on the floor. Once it was clear she dragged it towards the tree.

"Just don't tell Mum," she whispered as she stood atop the table, trying not to make it creak under her weight. Harry joined her and they leaned as close to the tree as they could without risking knocking it over.

"Wait, move it over that way," Harry said, pointing to the right. Irlynn stood on the balls of her feet to try and situate the figurine.

"How does that look?" she asked. He took a step back and gave a nod.

"Looks perfect." She set it atop the tree and they quickly climbed off the table. They Began packing up the empty bags and containers and tossing them back into the larger boxes.

"It looks wonderful," Victoria commented, appearing from the kitchen. Harry and Irlynn shared a smile and headed upstairs.

Evening turned into night and Harry sat in the guest room, looking out the window. He didn't hear the knock on the door or Irlynn's footsteps until she was sitting next to him.

"Are you alright?' she asked. It felt like she was asking that of him a lot these days.

"I guess so. I just…keep thinking maybe that house elf was right. Maybe it was too dangerous to go back to school. Look at what happened to Justin and Colin," he said.

"It's not like it's your fault."

"What if somehow it is? I keep hearing strange voices." She giggled.

"And I see your memories. So we're both a little strange," she laughed, nudging him in the shoulder. He tried to hide a smile but failed.

"You know what the best Christmas present would be?" he blurted.

"Uh…no."

"Having Mum and Dad here…"

"Yeah…that would be nice. Get to talk to them," she agreed. Harry abruptly stood and went to his trunk. He rooted around inside until he found the photo album Hagrid had given him at the end of his first year.

"Hagrid gave me this," he said, handing it to her. She opened it and saw the picture of James and Lily with baby Harry.

"They look happy. Mum is so pretty," Irlynn murmured. Harry nodded and sat next to her. They spent the better part of an hour just flipping through the few pictures it contained.

"You can take it," Harry said, pushing it back into her hands when she stood up to leave.

"But it's yours."

"Well…they're your parents too…maybe…we can find some pictures of you to put in it?"

"Ok…we can take pictures on Christmas morning and put them in too," she agreed. Harry beamed as he shut the door.

Deep in the bowels of Hogwarts, Snape stared at a dying fire in his private quarters. A larger number of students had gone home for holidays this year, meaning he had less of them to bother him. He picked up a glass of scotch and tossed it back. The glass hit the table next to him with a 'clank' as he stood up. He went to pour himself another glass when a knock resounded at his door. Letting out a grunt, he went to answer it.

"Good evening, Severus," Dumbledore greeted from the other side of the threshold.

"What can I do for you, Headmaster?" Snape drawled, standing his ground and not inviting his visitor in.

"the staff is having a gathering upstairs." It was a statement. There was no question that Dumbledore expected Snape to follow him back up.

"I would prefer to spend my evening alone, if you don't mind," he said and started to shut the door. Dumbledore caught it and held fast.

"Severus, I would like you to reconsider your…position on Miss McQuillen. What would Lily want?" There was that damn twinkle. Severus did everything he could to keep his composure.

"Good night, Headmaster," Severus said as evenly as he could before slamming the door. He stalked back towards his chair but stopped short. A photograph caught his attention. He moved to the fireplace and picked it up. Lily stared back at him. She even went to far as to blow him a little kiss.

"What have you done to me, Lily?" he breathed, sitting back down. He didn't expect an answer from the photograph and he didn't get one.

"I'm not ready to be a father…" He gazed down at her soft hair and gentle eyes and reached a finger out to stroke the glass. How he longed to stroke her cheek for real.

"I need you to guide me through this. You always knew what to do," he breathed. She frowned at his tone and leaned on the edge of her frame. Carefully he set the frame back on the mantle above the fireplace. A chill ran up his spine and he tossed another log on the fire. The flames leapt up in hunger and he sunk into his chair. He knew it was a long shot but he could always wish. It was Christmas after all and miracles could happen.

Back in Ireland, Irlynn and Harry were both drifting off to sleep, their minds joined in the same thought, hoping for a Christmas miracle; that they could wake up and find their parents alive and they could be one family, the family they both secretly longed to be.

The rest of the Christmas holiday came and went and no miracles took place. Sooner than they would have liked, Harry and Irlynn found themselves on the train back to Hogwarts and Snape found himself preparing for another term.


	17. The Living Page

The Living Page

**The Living Page**

Students huddled together within the stone walls of the castle as they headed from class to class. Snow had started accumulating the night before and by dawn had covered the grounds with a good foot and a half of snow. It had yet to let up. Much to dismay of Professor Sprout, all of the Herbology classes had to be cancelled due to inaccessibility to the greenhouses. Harry, Ron and Hermione were heading to Transfiguration as the wind picked up and snow swirled against the tall windows.

"I've never seen a storm this bad," Ron commented as they walked into the classroom. Surprisingly, the classroom was much warmer than the corridor. Ron slumped into a seat and let out a sigh of contentment.

"I haven't either. But at least Professor McGonagall put a heating charm on the classroom. I don't think I could survive another cold classroom. Did Snape really think the cold would keep us awake?" Harry groaned.

"It's not that cold," Hermione muttered as she pulled out parchment and quill. Shortly Professor McGonagall walked in and gave them all a smile.

"I hope you all had enjoyable holidays," she said before starting the lesson.

In his office, Dumbledore paced back and forth behind his desk. He was deep in thought when a knock came on the door. He stopped pacing and looked up.

"Come in," he called. The door opened and Professor Sprout hurried in.

"How are the mandrakes?" Dumbledore pressed as soon as the door was closed.

"I believe they are ready. I've been giving them extra warmth and light in the greenhouses and they've matured nicely. We should be able to use them by the end of the week," she informed him. Dumbledore gave the woman a smile and a nod.

"Good. I will be very happy to inform their parents once they have been restored to their rightful state. I imagine Mr. Filch will be glad to have Mrs. Norris back."

"You look troubled, Headmaster."

"Just perplexed my dear. Nothing to worry about," he said, waving it off. With a quick look of concern she shrugged and exited the office. Dumbledore returned to his pacing. He needed to find a way to break through Snape's stubbornness. He had noticed Snape's reaction to his suggestion of Lily's opinion. It was of course not a path Dumbledore wished to venture down if he had other options.

Soon students poured out of classrooms, rushing through the corridors in tight groups. Harry, Ron and Hermione were quickly met by Irlynn. The foursome exchanged quick greetings and headed to the Great Hall for lunch.

"I just want to curl up in bed. This weather is so gross," Irlynn complained, deciding to ignore house lines for the moment and sit with her friends. The meal progressed as usual, Ron piling copious amounts of food onto his plate with Hermione looking on in disgust. Harry and Irlynn both seemed wrapped up in their own world.

"You don't look so good," Harry commented. Irlynn just shrugged and took a drink from her goblet.

"I'm alright. Just this weather I guess. I just have this feeling that something is wrong…" she trailed off. Harry placed his hand on her arm.

"What do you mean wrong? I…I haven't heard anything since we came back," he whispered.

"I can't explain it. It's probably nothing. Just forget it," she said, turning back to her food.

Neither of them noticed the pair of onyx colored eyes watching their every moment. Snape sat at the staff table, just watching. He could see so much of Lily in her now that he really looked. She turned, her hair falling in front of her face and Snape couldn't keep a shiver from running up his spine. It was like being transported back twenty-two years. He was shaken from his thoughts when his colleagues began standing and exiting the hall. With a deep sigh, stood as well and exited through his private exit to the dungeons.

"I heard Flitwick cancelled Charms today," Ron said.

"Who told you that?" Hermione demanded.

"Fred and George."

"You know you can't listen to what they say half the time," she snapped and walked faster, leaving the boys and Irlynn to watch after her.

"Nutter she is,' Ron grumbled and followed after her. Harry and Irlynn parted ways, Harry catching up with Ron and Hermione and Irlynn wandering in the opposite direction. She didn't feel like going to class. She trudged up flights of stairs, letting them twist and turn and take her where they wanted. She ended up in the third floor girl's bathroom. She didn't know entirely what had drawn her there but it felt right somehow. As she walked in she heard something in one of the stalls. To her surprise, the first stall she checked, Irlynn was met with the translucent form of Moaning Myrtle.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Irlynn apologized. Even after being at the school for a year and a half, ghosts were still a new concept for her.

"Come to throw things at me too?" Myrtle whined.

"Um…no. Has someone done that to you?" Irlynn question. Myrtle just gave a wail and glided past her. Irlynn's eyebrows knit together and she moved down a stall. She could see legs in the next one over. Before she could open it, the door was pushed open and Ginny Weasley pushed by her, looking pale.

"Ginny. Are you ok?" Irlynn asked but Ginny didn't answer. Irlynn took a moment to peer inside the stall. She saw a small black book lodged in the toilet. Gingerly she reached down and pulled it. By the time she had dried it off, Ginny had disappeared.

"Sorry for bothering you," Irlynn called to Myrtle as she raced out of the bathroom. She spotted Ginny a few meters away and sprinted towards her.

"Ginny, you dropped this," Irlynn said, finally catching the girl. Ginny looked at Irlynn, her face devoid of expression. Her eyes looked almost lifeless and she didn't speak. She just shook her head and walked away. Irlynn stood there in shock and looked back down at the book. Meanwhile, classes were letting out and Hermione looked at the mass of books in her bag.

"I have to go to the library. I have to return some books. I'll see you back in the Common Room," she addressed Ron and Harry. The boys just shrugged as she walked at a steady pace away from them.

Irlynn managed with a few mixed up twists and turns of the staircase to get back to the Ravenclaw Common Room. The Common Room was crowded but at least it was warm. She looked around and couldn't find an empty seat so she made her way up to the girl's dorm. It was significantly quieter and she knew she could find a seat. She crawled beneath the covers of her bed and opened the book. She flipped through to find every page blank.

"That's odd," she murmured. She flipped it over to the back cover but it was blank as well. She flipped back again and finally found the name Tom Marvolo Riddle written on the inside cover. Searching through her bag, she found a quill and some ink. Propping the book on her knees, she put quill to the page.

**Hello?**

She wasn't certain what prompted her to write in the book. To her utter disbelief her message disappeared, only to be replaced by another in an unfamiliar hand.

**Hello. Who are you?**

She blinked but began to write again.

**My name is Irlynn McQuillen. Who are you?**

A split second later a reply came.

**Hello Irlynn. My name is Tom Riddle.**

She couldn't keep the smile from her lips. This was definitely something that she had to share with Harry. With a reluctant sigh, she climbed from beneath the warmth of her bed covers and ventured out into the corridors. She headed for the Gryffindor Tower but stopped short. She looked down to see a good inch of water covering the floor. She could feel the knot forming in her stomach as she waded through the water to what had to be the source.

She rounded a corner and let out a shriek. Lying on the ground was Hermione, still as a statue. Above her on the wall was written 'The Chamber of Secrets has been opened.' Irlynn looked back to her petrified friend, trying to keep calm. She looked down at the diary still in her hand. As quickly as she could, Irlynn opened to a page and wrote furiously.

**Do you know about the Chamber of Secrets?**

The reply came faster than any of the previous answers.

**Yes. But let me know you.**

Her brow furrowed as she reread the message from the diary. How could it show her anything? It was just a diary, wasn't it? She was about to lay quill to page again to ask how when the spine of the book began to glow with a bright yellow light. Soon the entire book had taken on the blinding light and Irlynn disappeared from view. The diary fell the floor, drifting in the water towards Hermione's motionless body.


	18. Pipe Dream

Pipe Dream

**Pipe Dream**

Irlynn looked around to see herself in a corridor. It looked vaguely familiar. She spun around to see students coming and going. They were dressed in old uniforms. He placed a hand to her head as she had suddenly begun to feel dizzy. She closed her eyes for a moment or two and when she opened them again, the dizziness had passed. It was then that she noticed the large boar on the staircase next to her. She shivered at the sight of it. She was quite glad the school had gotten rid of it. From the stairs above her, descended a familiar looking figure, albeit much younger.

"Headmaster Dumbledore," she called out but he didn't seem to see or hear her. He walked right past her, barely an inch away but his robes didn't even rustle with the near contact. It was as though she wasn't there. She started to follow him when he was stopped by a handsome looking young man.

"Professor," he called out. Dumbledore stopped and turned to look at the student.

"Hello Tom," he greeted.

"Is it true what they're saying? Will they really shut down the school?" Tom asked.

"I'm afraid that decision is up to Headmaster Dippet,' Dumbledore replied.

"But if they close down the school….where will I go? You know I have nowhere to go."

"I'm sorry Tom," Dumbledore said just as several men walked by carrying a gurney. An arm slid from beneath the sheet.

"The girl's family is coming for the body?" Tom asked.

"Yes."

"Is it true about what they're saying…about the Chamber of Secrets?" Tom pressed. Dumbledore looked uncomfortable at the boy's question.

"Keep your chin up, Tom," Dumbledore finally said before walking away.

Irlynn had heard the exchange and was confused. She had seen the body being carried by and something about it looked familiar. She looked back to where Dumbledore had been standing and nearly jumped in shock. Instantly her surroundings had changed. She found herself now in a small room. There was a door in front of her and one behind her. The door in front of her appeared to be locked. She spotted Tom walking towards it, wand raised.

"Alohamora," he chanted softly. The lock clicked and the door opened to reveal another familiar figure. He was smaller, if you could really say that he was small, and had less hair but it was most certainly Rubeus Hagrid. The younger Hagrid looked up at Tom's entrance and scrambled to hide whatever he had been tending.

"I'm sorry about this Hagrid, but I'm going to have to turn you in to the Headmaster," Tom said coolly.

"What? No…please…I didn't do nothing wrong, I swear. It's just…" Hagrid began to babble but Tom cut him off.

"You got that girl killed, Hagrid. You know you did. Now I have to bring you in. It's best to just come quietly."

"I swear I didn't-"

"Stand aside," Tom ordered, wand arm raised again. Irlynn stared on helplessly as Tom cast a spell that sent what appeared to be a large spider skittering out of the room. She could see tears in Hagrid's eyes as Tom led him out with a malicious smile on his face.

"Hagrid!" Irlynn called but it did no good. They couldn't hear her.

She felt a strange sensation rise up through her stomach and she suddenly found herself back in the present. She was standing in water, Hermione's body still lying like a stature. Her bag lay next to her. A mirror was clutched in one hand, the other hand in a tight fist.

In Gryffindor Tower, Harry looked up from reading his Charms book. He could hear that strange voice again, lusting for blood. Ron wasn't paying attention as Harry stood up and started to walk out of the Common Room. He was just out of the Portrait hole when Ron caught up to him.

"Oi mate. What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Harry answered. He just kept walking. Ron tried to keep up with hiss friend as they moved through corridor after corridor.

Irlynn looked around, shocked that no Professors had arrived yet. She didn't want to leave Hermione's body. She heard footsteps approaching and she looked up expectantly. She was met by Harry and Ron.

"What happened?" Harry asked, seeing Hermione.

"I don't know….whatever attacked Justin and Colin must have gotten her too," Irlynn whispered. She had picked up the diary and was trying to dry it off.

"Is she…" Ron trailed off.

"No…I don't think so," Irlynn said and bent down to retrieve the girl's book bag. A library book fell out. Harry reached down and picked it up. He saw a bit of parchment sticking out of the top of the book.

"Ron, you should go find Professor Dumbledore…tell him what happened…tell him he needs to come," Irlynn said, not taking her eyes off of the diary. Ron stood in shock for a moment before running at full tilt towards Dumbledore's office.

"What is that?" Harry asked.

"It's a diary. It belonged to a student named Tom Riddle…a girl was murdered when he was at school…he accused Hagrid of doing it," Irlynn explained.

"Hagrid wouldn't…" Harry began but was cut off.

"I know…they…said that they would have to shut down the school because of it."

"Do you think….they would shut down the school now?" Harry gulped, finally seeing the writing on the wall.

"I hope not…what were you doing here?" Irlynn asked.

"I heard the voice again…I followed it here," he replied. He looked at Hermione's body again and noticed the clenched fist.

"Do you see that?" he asked, pointing to what appeared to be a bit of parchment.

"Yeah." Harry reached down and pulled the slip of parchment from her hand. Just then loud, pounding footfalls sounded behind them. Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall followed after Ron.

"Oh no," Minerva gasped. She clutched at Dumbledore's arm to steady herself. Dumbledore surveyed the wall before looking at the body.

"We had better get her to the Hospital Wing," the headmaster said somberly.

"Will she be ok, Sir?" Harry asked.

"I believe so, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore answered. He bent down and did his best to pick Hermione's stiff body up.

"Minerva, please have Argus clean this up," he said.

"Albus…what are we going to do?" she called after him.

"Hope," he answered. She took a deep breath for composure and ushered the three students away from the scene. There was no doubt the news would spread around the castle in a matter of hours. The threesome ended up in the library.

"What's that?" Ron asked, pointing to the library book Irlynn had picked up.

"It was in Hermione's bag,' she replied. She flipped it open to the marked page and began to browse the page.

"What is it?" Harry pressed.

"It's about basilisks. It says they're giant snakes that kill you if you look directly into their eyes," she read aloud.

"Looking at a reflection will turn a person to stone," she added.

"Do you think….that's what's been attacking students?" Ron questioned.

"It looks like Hermione thought so…"

"That's why she had the mirror," Irlynn exclaimed. Harry was busy unfolding the parchment that Hermione had been clutching. It read 'pipes'.

"You said that it's a snake right?" Harry asked. Irlynn nodded.

"Maybe…maybe I've been hearing it…I mean I heard it right before it attacked Justin and Colin and Hermione. It must be using the pipes in the castle to get around," he rambled, showing them the scrap.

"That would explain the water," Irlynn agreed.

"Ok…so do we tell Dumbledore? I mean if he knows what is…maybe he can stop it," Ron offered. Harry and Irlynn shared a look. They seemed to be thinking the same thought.

"I think we need to figure out when this Tom Riddle was at school. Because I think the Chamber was open then," Irlynn said.

"Who is Tom Riddle?" Ron asked in confusion.

"I think I might know who we can ask," Irlynn blurted. Both boys looked at her with raised eyebrows. She let out a sigh.

"I found this diary in the girl's bathroom on the third floor…Come to think of it…Ginny tried to toss it down a toilet and upset Moaning Myrtle. She acted like she didn't even know who I was," Irlynn commented.

"You think we should ask Ginny?" Ron asked.

"No…Moaning Myrtle," Irlynn replied. She was on her feet within seconds. Harry joined her and Ron merely followed along.

"Isn't she always…whiny?" he groaned as they made their way towards the third floor girl's bathroom.

"Well she died Ron. Wouldn't you be a little grumpy if you died and became a ghost?" Harry scoffed.

"You sound like Hermione," Ron mumbled. Harry shook his head as they reached the door. They could hear Myrtle wailing away.

"Ready?" Irlynn asked. Both Harry and Ron shook their heads in the negative but she opened the door anyways. They walked in and Myrtle looked at tem from where she floated above the sink.

"Come to tease me some more, have you?" she snapped.

"No, Myrtle. We actually need to ask you something. It's really important," Irlynn answered.


	19. Snakes and Ladders

Snakes and Ladders

**Snakes and Ladders**

Myrtle looked at the three students standing below her. She cocked her head to the side as she floated there, looking pensive.

"Talk to me?" she repeated. Irlynn nodded and looked at her two companions. Both boys looked positively embarrassed to be in the girl's bathroom.

"We…we were hoping you might be able to tell us how you died."

"How I died? Now you really are teasing me," Myrtle sniffed.

"We're not. We think you can help us find out who has been attacking students," Harry replied.

"Fine," she said with a huff and floated down to their level.

"I was in the bathroom, crying you see. I was alone…well I thought I was," she began.

"I was in the stall and I heard the door open and a voice."

"A voice?" Irlynn interrupted.

"Yes…it was a boy. He was make strange noises. I told him to go away but he didn't. I didn't really see who he was. I just remember coming out of the stall and seeing these dreadfully scary red eyes."

"Then what happened?" Ron asked.

"Nothing. I died," Myrtle answered with a sniff.

"You said the boy was making strange noises…what did they sound like?" Irlynn inquired.

"I don't know…strange…" With that, the ghost flew with a cackle and dove into the nearest toilet. Water splashed out of the bowl and onto the floor.

"I bet you she was killed by the basilisk," Irlynn hissed as they walked out of the bathroom.

"I wonder who could open the Chamber of Secrets though," Harry murmured.

'I think we need to figure out the Heir is…remember the first message," Irlynn reminded them.

They walked a little ways before either Harry or Ron answered.

"You think whoever opened it then…is opening it now?" Harry asked.

"Well…maybe. I think we should ask Professor Dumbledore."

The trio made their way in the direction of Dumbledore's office but was stopped by Professor McGonagall. She looked even more upset than when they'd seen her last.

"I believe I told you three to return to your Common Rooms," she said.

"We need to talk to Professor Dumbledore. It's really important," Harry said.

"The Headmaster is busy right now," Minerva answered.

"We wanted to show him this," Irlynn said, handing the Professor the book and scrap of parchment. Minerva looked at them and sighed.

"Where did you find this?"

"Hermione found them…before she was attacked."

"Come with me," McGonagall ordered. She led Irlynn, Harry and Ron to her office and quickly ushered them inside.

"I don't know what you are trying to do but it needs to stop," she said sharply.

"But Professor…we think we know what's going on. We think whoever opened the Chamber the last time…is doing it again," Harry protested.

"I want you three to return to your Common Rooms and stay there," she ordered and stood back up. Irlynn looked ready to open her mouth and protest but kept silent. They slowly walked out of the office and down the corridor. Behind them Minerva made her way in the opposite direction. She moved as quickly as she could to reach Dumbledore's office. She didn't even bother knocking.

"Minerva, what's wrong?" Albus asked when she burst in.

"Mr. Potter, Miss McQuillen and Mr. Weasley believe that whoever opened the Chamber the last time has opened it again. If this is true…we're going to have to close down the school," McGonagall rambled.

"You and I both know that Hagrid was not responsible," Dumbledore said.

"I know that Albus but…we have to think of the safety of the students."

"I am inclined to agree with you. If Professor Sprout cannot revive the students by the end of the week, I will be forced to shut the school down," Dumbledore sighed. The pair just stared at each other in unease.

Back in the corridors of the castle, Harry and Ron had reached Gryffindor Tower. Irlynn was still with them. When they reached the Portrait of the Fat Lady, they found her looking annoyed.

"Is there a problem?" Harry asked.

"It's just filthy," the woman gasped, pointing her finger at the wall behind them. They spun around the see a message written on the wall; 'Her body shall lie in the Chamber forever'.

"That doesn't sound good," Ron mumbled.

"Who is 'she'?" Harry wondered aloud.

"Did you see who wrote the note?" Irlynn asked.

"First year girl…looks a bit like you," the woman answered, inclining her head at Ron.

"Ginny wouldn't do that," Ron scoffed.

"She's been acting strange all term, Ron. She…she threw the diary away and when I tried to talk to her…well she wasn't herself," Irlynn retorted.

"So someone's kidnapped my little sister!" Ron gasped. Harry and Irlynn exchanged looks.

'We have to find out where the Chamber is," Harry said. With that they headed back to the library to get some peace and quiet.

"Where do you suppose it could be?" Ron asked, looking several shades whiter now that Ginny was in danger.

"Well…Hermione thought it was using the pipes…so…maybe a bathroom?" Irlynn suggested.

"The third floor girl's bathroom. I mean…Myrtle died there right? You've got the toilets and the sinks," Harry interjected rather loudly. Madam Pince glared at him. He shrunk down in his chair an inch.

"I think we should wait until tonight and sneak out," he added.

"We can meet you at the entrance to the Ravenclaw Common Room…we can use my cloak."

"Brilliant. We've got to be careful though," Irlynn whispered as they stood up and started for the exit. None of them had noticed the tall figure of Professor Snape lurking just beyond a bookshelf. He watched them disappear and couldn't help feel anxious. If there was indeed a deadly snake roaming the castle, he couldn't let them go after it. That damn guilt over letting Lily down was beginning to creep up on him again.

Night rolled around and Harry and Ron snuck out of the Tower beneath the invisibility cloak. They moved as one, stopping now and again to adjust the fabric so it covered their feet.

"Shh," Harry hissed as they approached the Ravenclaw Tower. Irlynn was waiting. She ducked beneath the fabric and they moved onward. They didn't notice either figure moving in the shadows behind them. They finally reached the girl's bathroom and pushed the door open and snuck inside. Just as the door closed, the figure of Gilderoy Lockhart appeared. He was about to open the door and follow when a hand grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around.

"Oh…what are you doing here?" he asked, looking into the cold eyes of Severus Snape.

"Stopping you from doing something entirely foolish and stupid," Snape hissed.

"Don't make me duel you, Severus. I used restraint before," Lockhart stammered.

"You are a fraud,' Snape growled and waved his wand, Lockhart collapsing to the floor. Snape looked at him and cast a second spell just to be sure. By the time he entered the bathroom, Harry had already managed to unlock the passageway to the Chamber.

"Do not move," Snape drawled, catching all three students off guard.

"Professor Snape," Harry rasped.

"Am I correct in assuming you are about step into that passageway alone?" he sneered. Harry just nodded.

"IF you do so, I shall have no other choice but to dock points."

"We're lunging to possible death and he wants to take points?" Ron groaned.

"That's ten points, Mr. Weasley. Do you wish to continue?"

"Sir, we think whoever opened the Chamber kidnapped Ron's sister. We have to save her," Irlynn interjected.

"You will not go alone," Snape repeated.

"I didn't think we were," Ron whispered in Harry's ear.

"Another ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Weasley," Snape said coolly as they took the step into the passage. They wound up all crashing to the floor below. It was cold and damp and smelled unpleasant. Snape stood immediately and brushed his robes off. He raised his wand and cast the Lumos charm. Harry, Ron and Irlynn followed slowly after Snape as he led them through the pipe work.

"Look!" Harry exclaimed. They all looked down to see a very long, very dead snake skin lying along the way.

"So…is it dead?" Ron gulped.

"It's just shed it's skin…ick," Irlynn answered.

They reached a large pile of rubble blocking the way. There appeared to be a hole off to one side just big enough for one of them to crawl through.

"We had better start digging," Harry sighed but Snape stopped him.

"You will go no further, Mr. Potter," Snape ordered. Harry looked at hiss friends and then at the man before. He was going to get in so much trouble for this. But Ginny's life was at stake.

"Sorry Professor," he mumbled.

"Stupefy," he chanted and Snape's body fell to the ground. Harry looked to Ron and Irlynn.

"Stay here," he said and headed for the hole.

"Harry, wait," Irlynn called. She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him.

"Be careful," she whispered.

"I will," he promised and crawled through the hole.


	20. Chamber of Secrets

Chamber of Secrets

**Chamber of Secrets**

Harry crawled through the hole and came out on the other side. The snake skin continued on down the length of pipe work. Behind him, Ron and Irlynn stared at the unconscious professor. Ron was trying not to grin wildly at the fact that his best friend had hexed a teacher.

"I hope he's ok," Irlynn murmured.

"Harry is a good wizard," Ron replied.

"No…I meant Professor Snape. It looked like he hit his head really hard when he ell," Irlynn answered.

"Who cares…the lousy git," Ron grumbled.

Back on the other side of the rocks, Harry followed the snake skin as it wound through the bowels of the castle. Up ahead, he could hear noises that sounds vaguely familiar. He wasn't sure where he had heard them before but they seemed to be drawing him closer. After walking for what felt like quite a while, he arrived in a large cavernous space; the Chamber of Secrets. He looked around and felt a chill run up his spine. On the floor a few feet away, lay Ginny Weasley, looking deathly pale n a puddle of water. Harry ran to her side and rolled her over. Her lips were blue and she was barely breathing.

"Who are you?" a voice called out. Harry looked up to see a young man standing not far from them.

"I'm Harry," Harry answered, slowly standing up. The young man looked the boy over once and let out a breath. Harry looked down to see he was holding the diary.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Tom. Tom Riddle," Tom answered, extending his hand. Harry shook it gingerly and looked back to Ginny.

"What's wrong with her?" Harry asked.

"I'm afraid she's dying,' Tom replied.

"You've got to help me. She can't die," Harry rasped. Tom just stood there, staring at Harry as he knelt by Ginny's side again. He let the diary fall from his hand as she grasped the girl's hand. He wasn't sure why but he hoped that just by willing her to not die, she would stay alive.

"Please, do something," Harry begged when he saw Tom just standing there.

"I can't do that Harry. You see, as she grows weaker, I grow stronger. When she dies, well I will be alive again," Tom sneered. Harry swallowed nervously. Another shiver ran up his spine. This was beginning to feel familiar. It almost felt like the previous year when he had faced off against professor Quirrel and Voldemort.

"Why are you doing this?" Harry demanded, wand in hand. Tom laughed a little as he walked towards a large stone head. Harry looked at it and recognized it as Salazar Slytherin. He had been forced to look at pictures of the Founders when Hermione went on a rant about Hogwarts: A History.

"It is a pity it had to happen to the poor girl. But she was so easily used," Tom sighed, twirling Ginny's wand between his fingers.

"You see Harry…I never knew my parents…but I was named after my father," he began, spelling out the name Tom Marvolo Riddle.

"I'm sure he was a filthy waste of flesh. I knew I could be a great wizard…someone that was respected, feared. A name that struck that into the hearts of everyone." Tom waved the wand and the letters in the air began to rearrange themselves.

"And wouldn't you know the only good thing my father gave me was a nice anagram." The letters finished moving. They spelled out "I Am Lord Voldemort". Harry took a couple stumbling steps backwards.

That's why this all felt so familiar. But he had beaten Voldemort last year, hadn't he? Tom looked up at the mouth of the statue.

"I really am sorry about this, Harry but I can't have you meddling with my plans," Tom said. He let out a series of hisses and the basilisk came slithering out. Harry gulped again and ducked out of the way as the giant snake came slithering towards him. Tom stood off to the side, watching the events unfold. Harry dove behind the statue to catch his breath. He hadn't been expecting this.

He closed his eyes, wishing he had something that would help him get out of this alive. As if on cue, Fawkes appeared in a ball of fire. He dropped the sorting hat next to Ginny's body and did a dive bomb towards the basilisk. Both creatures gave a shriek as Fawkes managed to blind one of it's eyes. The snake snapped at the bird but Fawkes flew out of range with an agile swerve, taking out the other eye. Harry silently cheered the Phoenix on as he dove for the sorting hat. He wasn't sure what the hat was going to do but he picked it up anyways. From within the hat, a loud 'clank' resounded. Harry's eyes fell upon a very familiar sword lying at his feet; the Sword of Gryffindor. He picked the blade up and charged the snake. Despite being blinded, the snake began to slither along the floor, smelling Harry out.

'He's over there!" Riddle roared in Parseltongue. Harry saw the basilisk moving towards him and he raced for higher ground. He scrambled as best he could with one hand occupied up to the top of the statue. The snake hovered right below him before rising up to strike. Harry slid off the statue and hit the ground below the snake with a painful thud. He could feel something in his arm crack. He did his best to stand up. Just in time, he raised the sword and the snake bit down. It writhed in pain and came crashing down, landing full force atop Harry. The boy cringed in pain as he felt something sharp pierce his other arm. He looked down through watery eyes to see a dislodged fang protruding from his body. He managed to kick the snake off of himself but couldn't muster the energy to do much else.

"I really am sorry this had to happen, Harry. But the better wizard has won," Tom said, stepping over Harry's body and moving to Ginny.

"She's almost gone," he added with a smirk.

"No," Harry croaked out. He concentrated, trying to make his arms move to pull the fang out. He felt sluggish and tired as the venom worked its way through his veins. He was beginning to black out when he felt a strange sensation on his arm. He tried to force his eyes open but all he saw was a bright blur.

If this was what dying felt like, well then it wasn't all that bad really. He felt his body become less sluggish and he could open his eyes now. He saw Fawkes hovering over him, the bird's eyes shining with tears. Harry glanced at his arm to see the wound gone. He frantically looked around to find the diary lying just within reach. Tom caught sight of Harry's movements and tried to lunge forward.

"No!" Tom howled as Harry used the fang in his hand to stab the book. Venom began to seep through the pages, leaking out like blood from the pages of the book. Tom began to grow fainter and fainter until he disappeared entirely. Harry let out a heavy sigh as he scrambled to Ginny again. The color was returning in her face and she slowly opened her eyes.

"Harry? What happened?" she mumbled. He didn't answer. Instead he did his best to pick her up and carry her out of the chamber. They wound their way back to the pile of stone.

"Ron! Irlynn," Harry called out as he reached the hole. Ron's face appeared.

"You're alright!" he exclaimed as Harry did his best to help Ginny through the hole. Ron grabbed his baby sister and held her close.

"Get off," Ginny groaned, still unsteady on her feet. Harry crawled through, battered diary, sword and hat still in hand.

"Where did all of that come from?" Irlynn asked, taking some of the items from him.

"I wished I had something to help me…and then Fawkes just appeared and dropped the hat. The sword was inside," Harry explained. Just then Fawkes appeared above them.

"Yeah um…how are we going to get out of here?" Irlynn asked just as Professor Snape gave a groan. They all backed a few paces away from him as he pushed himself up off the ground. He glared at Harry.

"Should I report to your office tonight for detention, Sir?" Harry asked. Snape surveyed the four students before him and thought for a moment.

"Ten points for hexing a teacher and thirty points for disobeying a direct order. That will be punishment enough," Snape drawled, looking up at the Phoenix. This would be interesting getting back up. After some maneuvering, they all managed to grab hold of Fawkes. They were all surprised by the bird's strength. As soon as they reappeared in the girl's bathroom, the bird disappeared and Snape led them out into the corridor. Lockhart still laid unconscious outside. Irlynn gave a small giggle. Snape merely ushered them around his body and towards the Hospital Wing.

"I will inform the Headmaster of what happened," he drawled, leaving the foursome at the entrance to the Hospital Wing.


	21. Rest and Reconnaissance

Rest and Reconnaissance

**Rest and Reconnaissance**

Harry and Ron carried Ginny through the door of the Hospital Wing and were met immediately by Madam Pomfrey. She seemed relieved that Ginny was at least moving.

"Set her down here," she ordered, ushering them to a bed. Harry laid Ginny against the pillow and she gave a soft groan, trying to open her eyes.

"What happened to her?" the mediwitch asked.

"She passed out…err and hit her head," Harry replied hastily. He was suddenly reminded about his other arm when Ginny's weight was no longer holding the bone in place.

"Oh dear, come along. Better tend to you as well. What about you two?" she called, ushering Harry to another bed.

"We're fine," Irlynn replied. Madam Pomfrey busied herself with checking Harry's arm. She muttered to herself as she bustled about the bed, making him comfortable as she went to retrieve a potion. In the bed next to him, Hermione lay motionless.

"Has anyone found a way to turn them back?" Irlynn asked, moving towards Harry's bed. Ron followed after her. Madam Pomfrey handed Harry a potion and did a spot check on Ron and Irlynn just to be sure they were both ok.

"Professor Sprout's mandrakes are being brewed into the necessary potion now. With any luck, they will be revived in the morning," she answered. Harry drank the potion, grimacing at the taste and handed the empty glass back.

"Now you two should get back to your Common Rooms," she added, shooing the other two students away. Assured that Harry would be fine on his own, she headed over to tend to Ginny. Harry watched from across the room before finally succumbing to the lateness of the hour. Ron and Irlynn parted ways just outside the Hospital Wing.

"What do you think happened in there?" Ron asked, keeping his voice low.

"I don't know…but I think Harry will tell us when he's released. I hope Ginny is ok. She didn't look so good," Irlynn commented.

"You didn't…see anything?"

"I can't see things on command. It doesn't work like that…I don't really know why it works when it does," she said with a shrug before starting off to Ravenclaw Tower. Ron let out a loud yawn and made his way back to Gryffindor Tower, trying to ignore the message written on the wall across from the Portrait of the Fat Lady.

In another part of the castle, Snape made his way to the entrance to Dumbledore's office. He gave the gargoyle the password and strode up the spiral staircase as quickly as he could. He reached the door and knocked. He received no answer. He didn't know what time it was but Snape guessed it was well after midnight. He rubbed the back of his head and knocked a second time. This time he could hear scuffling sounds from within. He took a step or two back to allow the door to be pulled open. Dumbledore appeared in his nightclothes and cap, looking very bleary eyed. He was without his half-moon glasses.

"I apologize for the lateness of the hour, Headmaster however I need to speak with immediately," Snape said, suddenly feeling very much awake. Dumbledore stood back to allow the younger man into his office. Fawkes sat atop his perch, head tucked beneath his wing in slumber.

"What is it Severus?" Albus asked, searching for his glasses on his desk.

This evening I overheard Mr. Potter and his friends discussing the Chamber of Secrets. I caught them sneaking out tonight up to the third floor girl's bathroom," Snape began. Dumbledore sunk into hiss chair and listened intently.

"I knew Potter was just looking for trouble and so I revealed myself to them and informed that they were not to go any further. Naturally, they disobeyed. I admit, I was caught off guard by Mr. Potter. Due to mediocre aim, I was hit with a stunning spell."

"When he returned from the Chamber, he was carrying Miss Weasley's body," he continued but Dumbledore stopped him.

"You are saying whoever opened the Chamber, kidnapped Miss Weasley?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, Sir," Snape said.

"And you were otherwise incapacitated during this entire encounter?" Snape nodded his head again, albeit begrudgingly.

"You will need to speak with Mr. Potter as to what happened within the Chamber. I do know however that upon exiting the Chamber, he carried with him, the Sorting Hat, a book and the Sword of Gryffindor."

"Is there anything else, Severus?"

"One other thing. Your phoenix was also present." Dumbledore looked over at Fawkes and smiled broadly.

'Remarkable birds, the phoenix. Extremely strong and has such a beautiful song," Dumbledore mused. Severus just looked from the bird to the man sitting across the desk.

"I sent Mr. Potter and Miss Weasley to the Hospital Wing. I do not believe Miss McQuillen and Mr. Weasley sustained injury. They should have returned to their respective dormitories."

"Thank you, Severus. Good night. I will talk to them all in the morning," Dumbledore replied. Snape stood up made a quick exit. Dumbledore looked at Fawkes and reach a hand out to stroke the sleeping bird's feathers.

"Thank you, my friend," he whispered before returning to his own private quarters.

The rest of the night passed by in silence. All parties involved were exhausted, regardless of their involvement. Irlynn lay awake for a while longer once she had returned to her dormitory. She was curious as to why she hadn't seen anything that Harry had. She needed to ask Dumbledore if he had found out anything about why she saw what she did. It seemed that he had just forgotten completely about her dilemma. As she rolled over and pulled the blankets up around her chin, another thought came to her. Why had she been so concerned about Professor Snape down in the Chamber? Of course she was a little afraid of how he would react when he awoke but there was something else. She'd genuinely been worried for his safety.

The following morning arrived much too quickly for the whole of Hogwarts. Dumbledore was up and about before any of the students. He woke Mr. Filch early much to the man's grumblings.

"Argus would you be so kind as to clean off the wall by the library and by Gryffindor Tower before the students awake. There is no need to invoke panic among the students. Thank you," the headmaster said with a cheery twinkle in his eyes. Filch gave a grumble but grabbed a bucket and mop and trudged off to clean up. Next Dumbledore headed for the Hospital Wing. He had several things to check on there. When he reached the room, h e found the office light on. He stuck his head in to see Madam Pomfrey reading.

"Good morning, Poppy," he greeted. She jumped a little in her chair.

"Good morning, Headmaster," she replied.

"I was told you have some new guests."

"Yes. Miss Weasley and Mr. Potter. Mr. Potter is mending a broken arm. Miss Weasley has quite a fever but I believe it broke an hour ago."

"I've no doubt they'll be good as new today. Any word from Pomona?"

"She said she should finish with the mandrake potion this morning." Madam Pomfrey gave a little stretch and stood up.

"Would you like me to wake Mr. Potter?"

"No, no. Let him sleep. I'm quite certain he needs his rest. I will come back in a little while. Please let me know when Pomona is ready. I would like to be here when the other students are revived."

"Of course Headmaster." With that, Dumbledore quietly strode out of the room.

Below in the dungeons, Snape too was up early. He was pacing back and forth of his fireplace, embers smoldering dimly in the hearth. He hadn't slept much the rest of the night. It wasn't that the events of the night previous had kept him awake. It was this new feeling that had crept up when he was down in the tunnel with Ron and Irlynn. He hadn't protested that much when Harry had decided to continue on without them. But deep down, he knew a part of him would have taken every measure necessary to keep Irlynn from going after him. Was he really beginning to feel fatherly emotions for this girl that he hardly knew? He caught sight of the picture of Lily on the mantle and let out a breath. Was this her way of telling him that he should stop wasting time and come clean with her?

"I just can't do it, Lily," he murmured, keeping his distance from the photograph. She just looked at him with sad eyes. He closed his eyes and sat down in the chair across from thee fireplace. He wouldn't know how to even broach the subject with Irlynn. And how could he guarantee that she would even believe him? All of these thoughts whirled around his subconscious as he stood up once more and walked out of his private quarters.


	22. Riddle Me This

Riddle Me This

**Riddle Me This**

Harry awoke to sun streaming through the window next to his bed. He groaned and rolled over, thinking he was in the boy's dorm. When his hand didn't find anything to pull closed he sat up and looked around. His eyes were still blurry with sleep as he went in search of his glasses. He found them lying on a night table to his right. He let out a soft sigh of relief as he realized he was in the Hospital Wing. He looked down at his arm to see had healed overnight. He was about to push the covers aside when Madam Pomfrey walked out and over to his bed.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter," she said.

"Morning Madam Pomfrey. I feel fine. Can I leave?" Harry asked. She gave him a smile and didn't answer. Instead she inspected his arm.

"Why don't you rest just a while longer? I believe the Headmaster will be back in a while to talk with you." Harry let out a groan but laid back against the pillow. His eyes wandered over the occupants in the room. His gaze landed on Ginny and watched as she rolled over in her sleep, clutching at the blankets.

"Is Ginny ok?"

"She will be fine. I'll be keeping her for the rest of the day just to make sure. Now rest."

Harry lay there, just staring up at the ceiling in boredom. As surprising as it sounded, he would have loved to be doing schoolwork. Perhaps it was the fact that Hermione lay in the bed next to him. He couldn't help but feel uneasy that Hermione was still a statue. She would be very unhappy to find out they'd gone off and faced the basilisk without her.

In Ravenclaw Tower, Irlynn sat in the Common Room. She had fallen asleep around sunrise. She had gotten a few hours in but had woken up in an anxious state. She'd gotten dressed and gone down to the Common Room. The sun was still making it's ascent in the sky as she lit a fire and huddled close to it. She had woken up to an image of Tom writhing in pain and then disappearing. She assumed it was something that Harry had seen in the Chamber. She would have to ask him about it. In the distance the clock rang out eight o'clock. With a sighs she stood up and headed for the exit. She was hungry but knew breakfast wasn't served for another half hour. She wandered the castle for a bit until she found herself outside of the Hospital Wing. She ducked inside and looked for Madam Pomfrey. She was nowhere to be seen so Irlynn made her way over to Harry's bed. She tapped him on the arm and he jolted up.

"Sorry," she apologized softly, pulling a chair over.

"It's ok. I didn't know I fell back asleep," he murmured.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better. My arm is good as new. But Madam Pomfrey said I have to rest some before. And Dumbledore will be down to talk to me."

"What about Ginny?" Irlynn looked across the room at the younger girl.

"She should be ok"

"What really happened to her? She didn't just pass out did she?" Irlynn pressed. Harry slowly shook his head in the negative.

"Riddle was using her…he was in the Chamber."

"But I saw a memory…how could he be here…now?"

"I don't know. But he said that as she got weaker, he got stronger. That when she died, he would be alive again." Irlynn's eyes bulged. Ginny gave a soft moan in her sleep as she clutched at her blankets again.

"I saw something last night…when I fell asleep," Irlynn said, drawing both of their attention away from Ginny.

"What did you see?"

"I saw Tom in pain and then he disappeared. It was right before I woke up," she explained.

"I stabbed the diary…and then he disappeared and Ginny woke up," he said with a shrug. Just then the door t the Hospital Wing opened and Madam Pomfrey appeared, followed by the Headmaster. Irlynn stood up and pushed the chair away.

"I'll see you later," she called and snuck past the two adults.

"How are you feeling, Harry?" Dumbledore questioned.

"Fine, Sir. Thanks." Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey shared and a look and a nod.

"Why don't you come with me," he said, leading Harry out of the Hospital Wing. They walked for a while until they reached Dumbledore's office. The gargoyle immediately stepped aside. Dumbledore ushered Harry up the spiral staircases. Neither of them noticed Snape appear at the bottom just as the gargoyle stepped back into place. Harry took a seat in the chair that Snape had been in hours earlier.

"Professor Snape has informed me that you ventured to the Chamber of Secrets last night."

"He already took points for hexing him…" Harry trailed off. Dumbledore tried to hide a smile but failed.

"I'm sure he has. I would like for you to tell me what happened after you left Professor Snape and your friends."

Harry closed his eyes for a moment, trying to recall what had happened. As he took a deep breath, everything seemed to come back to him. He opened his eyes and began to recount the night's events.

"We found the basilisk skin beneath the castle…along the pipes. I followed it to the Chamber and…there was a lot of water there. I found Ginny lying on the ground. She was really pale…her lips were blue," he began and then remembered about the diary.

"Irlynn found Ginny throwing away this diary," he added, handing it over. Dumbledore just nodded.

"Well anyway…I had the diary with me…and then I looked up and saw this boy standing there. His name was Tom…Tom Riddle. He told me…that Ginny was dying, Sir…and he wouldn't help me save her….he wanted her to die…he would live," the second year rambled, running out of breath midway through his sentence.

"Slow down, Harry," Dumbledore prompted. Harry took another breath and repeated the information.

"Ginny was dying and Riddle said that as she got weaker, he got stronger. That's why he wouldn't help me. He had her wand and he wrote out his name in the air…" he trailed off.

"Sir…when he rearranged the letters in his name…he…Tom Riddle is Voldemort," he finally said.

"I know, Harry," Dumbledore said. Harry stared at him in shock.

"What?" Dumbledore smiled at the boy.

"I know that Tom Riddle became Lord Voldemort. He had such potential and he squandered it on the pursuit of immortality," Dumbledore explained. Harry just looked at the old wizard in awe. A million questions started to percolate in his brain. If Voldemort was immortal, how had he died the night he had attacked? Why didn't Dumbledore stop Riddle from becoming Voldemort?

"But…he wasn't immortal was he? I mean he was destroyed the night he attacked me…" Harry mumbled.

"We had thought so, Harry. In fact, we had all hoped that was the case. But last year, proved that he indeed somehow survived that night as you did, although without a body," Dumbledore explained.

"But if you knew he was turning into Voldemort, why didn't you stop him?" Harry demanded.

"I could not control Tom back then just like I cannot control any of the students within these walls, Harry. Nor would I want to. Tom made a choice and chose his own path and future. No one could stop him from proceeding down that path once he was on it. He was a determined young man," Dumbledore replied.

Harry sat back, arms crossed over his chest. He didn't believe this. As he sat there, trying to take all of this information in another series of questions popped into his head.

"Sir…when I was facing off against the basilisk…I tried to talk to it Parseltongue but it wouldn't listen to me…and I wished I had something to help me fight it off…then your Phoenix appeared with the sorting hat," he rambled again.

"Did Fawkes help you?"

"Well…yes. He brought the hat…and the Sword of Gryffindor was in it…but I don't understand how."

"You see Harry; it takes a true Gryffindor to be able to pull the sword from the hat. You were meant to use it if you could retrieve it," Dumbledore answered.

"But I didn't ask for Fawkes…how did he know to come?"

"The Phoenix is a remarkable bird, Harry. It possesses great strength, gentleness and a phoenix tear carries with it a healing touch," Dumbledore commented, seeming to know what had happened to Harry's other arm. Harry rubbed his forearm subconsciously.

"Now…why don't you go get some breakfast? I'm quite certain Miss McQuillen would enjoy your company. I'd like to look this diary over." Harry nodded and stood up. He paused at the door but pulled it open and walked down the stairs. The portraits of the former Headmasters and Headmistresses all looked at Dumbledore as he opened the damaged diary.


	23. Heart and Soul

Heart and Soul

**Heart and Soul**

Harry wandered through the corridors to the Great Hall. It seemed oddly empty this morning. He spotted Irlynn sitting at the Ravenclaw table and joined her. She looked up from her toast and pushed the platter towards him.

"You look tired," he commented. He hadn't noticed it earlier, probably because he was a bit disoriented himself.

"Yeah…didn't sleep much last night. My mind was kind of…busy."

"Really? With what?" Harry asked.

"It's stupid," she mumbled into her glass of juice.

"Come on. Tell me. I won't think it's stupid." Irlynn rolled her eyes but turned on the bench to face him. He took a bite of toast and nodded for her to explain.

"Well…right before you went into the Chamber….when you hexed Professor Snape…I sort of felt bad for him. I mean…he did hit the ground hard," she muttered. It sounded just as foolish saying it as it did in her head. Harry did his best not to laugh but failed miserably. Irlynn swatted his arm.

"You said you wouldn't' think it's stupid," she snapped.

"I didn't say it was stupid," Harry snickered.

"Just…it's Snape. Everyone hates him."

"I know but I felt bad…like worried almost. I don't know…just forget I said anything," she sighed and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Harry called, taking another piece or two of toast and following her.

"To get my things for class."

"No one else is around…it's really strange," Harry said, falling into step with her. Irlynn looked around and nodded in agreement. Just as they turned a corner, they nearly collided with Professor McGonagall.

"Sorry, Professor," Harry and Irlynn apologized in unison.

"Quite alright," Minerva replied.

"Professor, where is everyone? The castle seems really deserted this morning," Irlynn commented. Minerva looked down at the pair for a moment.

"Classes have been cancelled for today. Given the…unusual circumstances as of late, the headmaster felt it best to give the students some time to relax," McGonagall finally answered. Harry and Irlynn shared a skeptical look but just nodded and went on their way.

"Good thing Hermione isn't awake to know about this. She'd throw a fit," Harry laughed as they headed back to Gryffindor Tower. The message on the opposite wall was long gone thanks to Filch. Harry gave the password to the Fat Lady. The pair earned a disapproving look from the painting when Irlynn followed him in.

"Honestly…they paintings are so grumpy," she whispered as she sat down.

"I'll be right back," Harry said and disappeared upstairs. He reappeared moments later, followed by a sleepy looking Ron.

"Morning," Irlynn greeted. Ron just gave a mumble.

"I wonder if Ginny's up yet," Harry wondered. The trio made their way back towards the Hospital Wing but found Filch and Professor Flitwick standing guard.

"What's going on, Professor?" Irlynn asked.

"They're reviving the students. I'm afraid you can't go in until they are certain the potion has worked and Madam Pomfrey has examined them," Flitwick answered with a squeak. With a collective sigh, they headed off towards the library.

Upstairs in his office, Dumbledore was flipping through the diary. He found every page to be blank, although they all ran with a strange dark stain that looked very much like blood. He ran his fingers gently over the hole in the center, tracing the ragged edges. He set it down and leaned back in his chair. Harry had said when he stabbed the diary that Riddle had disappeared. The old man's brow furrowed as he stood and moved to a bookshelf in his private quarters. He began to read the spines on the topmost shelf when the door to his office opened and Snape walked in. Dumbledore didn't seem to notice the man standing in his office as he carried a book back to his desk and flipped through it.

"Headmaster," Snape drawled, catching Dumbledore off guard. Albus looked up at the sound and smiled.

"Sorry to disturb you but I was hoping you had a moment," Snape said, sitting down without being offered the chair.

"I'm afraid at the moment, I am rather busy, Severus," Dumbledore answered, beginning his search through the book again.

"It would only take a moment," Snape tried again.

"I'm afraid I need to look into this immediately. I don't want to lose my train of thought." Snape did all he could to keep his temper under control.

"Would you be so kind as to check on Madam Pomfrey and Professor Sprout's progress with reviving the students?" Dumbledore asked, that damn twinkle in his eyes. Snape nodded, his lips pursed in a thin line. In one motion he was out of the chair and at the door. He didn't even look back as he strode down the stairs. Left to the silence of his office, Dumbledore continued to flip pages until he found what he was looking for.

Down at the Hospital Wing, Snape appeared, towering over Flitwick. Both Filch and Flitwick seemed to be growing agitated and anxious to leave.

"Is there something we can do for you, Professor?" Filch asked.

"The Headmaster has asked me to report on the progress," Snape drawled, clearly annoyed at the task.

"They won't allow us in," Flitwick explained. Snape merely crossed his arms over his chest and stood there. He wasn't going to leave until he had something to report to Dumbledore. Perhaps then the Headmaster would have a moment to spare to speak with him.

Beyond the closed doors, Madam Pomfrey was administering the last dose of the potion to Justin, Colin and Hermione. Colin was the first to show any signs of recovery. He slowly flexed his fingers and then lowered his arms. Madam Pomfrey was at his side as Professor Sprout tended to Justin and Hermione.

"Slowly, Mr. Creevey," Pomfrey coached as Colin began to stretch his other extremities. He looked around in confusion.

"How'd I get here?" he asked, trying to sit up but was kept on his back.

"You were attacked before Christmas. Just rest now," Pomfrey explained. Several beds over, Hermione sat bolt upright, despite Professor Sprout's protests.

"Oh I have to see Harry. It's important. I have to tell him what I found…oh where are my things?" she rambled, trying to get out of bed.

"Miss Granger you need to lay down immediately. You cannot leave until we are certain the potion has worked fully," Madam Pomfrey called sternly as she moved to check on Justin.

"But he needs to know…" the girl trailed off. Professor Sprout moved to the door and opened to find Filch, Snape and Flitwick standing expectantly outside.

"They're awake and moving around," she said and shut the door again. Snape let out a huff and started back towards the Headmaster's office. He was nearly there when he was intercepted by McGonagall.

"Severus, do you have any idea why Gilderoy is wandering around outside the girl's bathroom on the third floor mumbling about rabbits?" she asked.

"Haven't the slightest idea," Snape answered.

"I knew he wasn't right in the head," he added with a smirk and continued on his way. Unfortunately when he reached the office, he heard voices within; Dumbledore and Harry. Severus took several deep breaths to control his anger but it was growing increasingly harder to keep it in check. He decided he would wait until Potter left.

Back inside Dumbledore's office, Harry sat in a chair while Dumbledore paced back and forth behind his desk.

"I have examined the diary and done a little research Harry and I believe what you have come across is a Horcrux," Dumbledore said, stopping and placing his hands on his desk, looking Harry in the eye.

"A what, Sir?"

"A Horcrux. It is an object that contains a piece of a person's soul." Harry grimaced at the thought.

"Why would someone…do that?" Harry asked.

"I believe that Voldemort may have done so in an attempt to become immortal. You see, tearing one's soul, even just one time begins to distort the individual until they become unrecognizable," Dumbledore continued. Harry opened his mouth to ask another question but Dumbledore held his hand to up to stop him.

"Creating a Horcrux is not a simple task, it comes after committing an act of great evil."

"Like…killing someone?"

"Yes, Harry. Exactly like killing someone." Harry looked at the man for a moment or two, trying to process even more information.

"So…what do we do with?"

"At the moment…I am not entirely certain. It is destroyed, that much I am certain of. You see I believe Riddle….Voldemort, tried to use the diary as a way of resurrecting himself, beginning his fight all over again." Harry swallowed.

"So he really is trying to come back?" Dumbledore let out a long, slow breath.

"It appears that way, Harry. And we must be ready for if and when it happens. Now, go enjoy your day. You did the school a great service last night." Harry stood and walked towards the door. Just as he reached for the doorknob, the door was pushed open and Snape strode in, nearly knocking Harry over.

"The students have been revived," Snape drawled, looking at Dumbledore. Harry smiled and raced down the stairs. He had to find Ron and Irlynn and get to Hermione.


	24. Anger Management

Anger Mangement

**Anger Management**

Harry appeared at the bottom of the stairs leading up to Dumbledore's office and raced through the corridors to Gryffindor Tower. He nearly collided with Percy as he ran through the Portrait hole.

"Harry, slow down," Percy scolded.

"Sorry, Percy. Have you seen Ron?" Harry replied.

"I think he's in the boy's dormitory." With that, Percy strode by, leaving Harry to catch his breath before running upstairs.

"Ron…Hermione's awake!" Harry blurted the moment he entered the room. Ron rolled over and yawned.

"What's that?" Harry rolled his eyes and dragged his friend out of bed.

"Hermione's awake," he repeated as they made their way in the direction of Ravenclaw Tower. They rounded a corner and ran into Irlynn.

"Herm-" Ron began to say but Irlynn just nodded her head vigorously.

"I know. Come on, she's going to be furious she missed this," Irlynn said as they walked at a calmer pace to the Hospital Wing. Ron looked confused but Harry ignored him.

"What did you see?" Harry whispered.

"Just Snape coming in and telling Dumbledore that everyone had been revived," Irlynn answered as they reached the wing. Filch and Flitwick had long since abandoned their posts. The trio made their way inside and spotted Hermione sitting up, feverishly flipping pages of her Potions book. She didn't even look up when three chairs rallied around her.

"Welcome back," Ron said, finally pulling her from her reading material.

"I can't believe this happened. Oh I'm going to fail all my exams," she groaned.

"I don't think you will. It's not like you meant to get petrified," Harry offered. She gave a huff and bent over her bag, searching through it. Her brow furrowed.

"What are you looking for?" Irlynn prompted.

"A book I found in the library," she mumbled.

"We took it when you were attacked…it really helped." Hermione looked at Harry. She seemed almost disappointed that she hadn't been there to explain everything.

"It…it did?"

"Yeah…loads. Explained everything actually…well except why it was attacking but…we wouldn't have known what we were up against if you hadn't found it," Harry assured her.

"But…what happened? What did I miss?"

"Well…we went to the Chamber of Secrets…and I fought the basilisk. It's dead…and Ginny found a diary that was cursed…it almost killed her," Harry replied.

"Is she alright?" Hermione rasped, her eyes darting around the hospital room. She finally found Ginny lying a few beds away, calming reading the Daily Prophet. Ron stood and wordlessly excused himself, going to join his sister.

"Gin, how are you feeling?" he asked. She looked at him and quickly averted her gaze.

"I did bad things, Ron. I…I didn't want to but…I couldn't stop myself," she whispered.

"It's ok, Gin. It's not your fault. Just…where'd you get the diary?"

"I found it in my cauldron when I was taking out my books." In a rare moment of brotherly affection, Ron leaned over and gave her a hug.

Back upstairs, Snape stood in the doorway, waiting for Dumbledore to say something. When the older man didn't make a move, Snape stepped over the threshold and shut the door. He wasn't going to let the older wizard leave the room until he got some answers. Finally Dumbledore spoke.

"I should tend to the students," he murmured but Snape stood in his way.

"I am sure they have all returned to normal. I have a matter I need to discuss with you," Snape said as calmly as he could. Dumbledore looked at Snape with a quizzical stare but continued to try and make his way out of his office. Snape stayed his ground, not budging a step.

"Severus, is this really necessary?" Dumbledore demanded, beginning to grow irritated.

"I have a very important matter that I need your…advice on and I would appreciate just a few moments of your time as it concerns several students that you find…of interest," Snape drawled. Dumbledore gave a long sigh but returned to his desk. Snape, now certain that he had the Headmaster's attention, sat down as well.

"What is it that seems to be troubling you?" Dumbledore asked.

"Given the recent events involving Mr. Potter and his…companions—" Snape began but Dumbledore cut him off.

"You mean Miss McQuillen." Snape bit the inside of his lip to keep from snapping.

"Yes."

"After examining the situation in which I found myself last evening, perhaps I should…attempt to fulfill her mother's wishes," he continued through pursed lips. He hated being wrong, absolutely detested it.

"I see. I'm very glad you see this now, Severus," Dumbledore stated with that twinkle in his eye.

"However, given the…lack of experience I have with…familial interaction…" Again Snape was interrupted.

"You mean being a parent."

"Stop interrupting me!" Snape spat.

Dumbledore looked taken aback at Snape's outburst. He was so caught off guard that he nearly fell from his chair. Snape took a deep breath and let it out through his nose to calm himself down.

"As I was saying…given my lack of experience in the matter…and my…less than mediocre example…I am at a loss as to how to broach the subject with her."

"And you believe I hold the answer to your query?" Dumbledore questioned.

"You were the one pushing me to this, Albus. You cannot expect me to believe you did it just to rub my face in it," he snapped again.

"No, of course not Severus…I was merely saying that…I too have no personal experience with my own children as I do not have any," Dumbledore explained. It sounded very weak to Severus. The Potions Master took several more breaths to keep his temper in check. It wouldn't do him any good to lose it now. As he sat there, staring his mentor in the eye, he wondered whether he should share the feelings he had experienced the night previous.

"Out of curiosity, what exactly prompted this…conversion?" Dumbledore pressed. Now Snape had no choice.

"Having overheard their plan…I knew it would entail exposing themselves to potential harm and most certain mortal peril. The more I watch her, the more I see her mother in her and I could never forgive myself if something were to happen," Snape said. Dumbledore nodded.

"In that case…perhaps it would be best to explain the situation to Irlynn with her adoptive parents present. There is no chance of miscommunication of information if all are present," Dumbledore stated. Snape thought for a moment.

"Perhaps that can be arranged," Snape agreed and stood. Without another word, he left the office. Dumbledore leaned back and let out a sigh of relief. Waiting a minute or two for Severus to vacate the immediate premises, Dumbledore headed down to check on Justin, Colin and Hermione.

By the time final exams rolled around four months later, Hermione had more than caught up on her work and was running about like a decapitated chicken. Her friends were more than glad she was back to normal. Harry had not heard anything more about Horcruxes from Dumbledore and part of him was worried. The weather had finally warmed up and he was sitting out in the courtyard when Irlynn joined him.

"Hi," she said, sinking to the grass beside him.

"Hi."

"So…you're coming with us back to Ireland at the end of term right?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'm sure my Aunt and Uncle will understand…they hate having me around anyways. I'll tell them everything when we get to train station," Harry answered.

"Good. Mum and Dad are looking forward to seeing you." Harry smiled at his sister as the sun snuck out from behind a cloud. The pair sat in comfortable silence for a moment or two before Harry looked at her.

"Did you ever talk to Dumbledore about your visions?" he blurted.

"No…he seemed a bit busy with…well everything else going on," she answered. He nodded. Dumbledore had been rather preoccupied with the Chamber of Secrets business.

"I'm glad that the term is almost over. It was definitely a long school year," she sighed, leaning back on her hands and letting the sun shine on her cheeks.

"Yeah…guess that house elf was right after all," Harry snickered.

From a shady alcove, Snape watched the pair. He hadn't decided when he was going to confront Irlynn and her parents with the news. Perhaps over the summer. It would give them all some time to adjust to the idea and figure out the best course of action. He wasn't really paying attention to what they were saying. He just watched them. They finally both stood and headed back inside. Snape couldn't hide a small, genuine smile from creeping onto his lips as he watched the sun shimmer against her hair, just like her mother.

From high above them all, Dumbledore stood at the window, just watching the clouds drifting in the sky. He glanced back at hiss desk, the Riddle diary lying atop it. He had a feeling the Wizarding World was in for a large and painful shock in the near future. It was in the air and he knew he was not even the slightest bit prepared for what was to come.


End file.
